LIBRARY  OF  PRINCETON 

1 

MAR -8  2005    1 

THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY 


\ 


THE 


COMPLETE  WORKS 


OF 


JOHN  M.  MASON,  D.D 


FOUR  VOLUMES. 


EDITED    BY    HIS    SON, 

EBENEZER    MASON. 


VOL.  IV. 


NEW    YORIi 


LieRARY  OF  PRINCETON 


KAR-8  2005 


™j 


THEOLOGICAL  SEMINJ^RY 


BAKER    AND    SCRIBNER 

145    KASSAU    STREET    A^D    36    PARK    ROW. 

1849. 


'c.  W.  BK.NEDICT,  Stereotyper, 

201    }yillia,n  ,l>eel,  cor.  of  Ptankfort. 


m 


CONTENTS  OF  VOL.  IV. 


Sermon  IV.— Nature  and  Necessity  op  Uegenera- 

TION,  .  •  •  •  ■ 

.<     ^  v.— Works    of    the    Flesh    anb    Spirit 
Distinguished, 

ci       VI. — True  Honor, 

,,      VII. — Apostolic  Commission, 

"     VIII.— Nonconformity  to  the  World, 

««^_^IX. — The  Fountain  of  Life, 

K         X. — The  Gospel  Offer, 

XI.— The  Gospel  no  Cause  of  Shame, 
««      XII.— On  Steadfastness  in  Religious  Sen- 
timent,     .         •         •         •         • 
Speech  on  Resignation  of  Pastoral  Charge, 
Death  of  David  Hume,  Esq.,  and  Samuel  Finley,  ^^^ 

p,  D. — A  Contrast,      •         •         •         •         * 
Conversation  with  a  Young  Traveler,    .         •         341 
Oration  on  the  Death  of  Washington,  .'       477 

«  Hamilton,         •        •        ^^^ 

533 
Voice  of  Warning,     .        .        ^        •        •        * 


29 
59 

83 
103 
129 
161 
185 

211 
239 


NATURE 

AND 

NECESSITY  OF  REGENERATION. 


f 


h 


THBQLOGIG&Ii 


SERMON    IV. 


^# 


NATURE  AND  NECESSITY  OF  REGENERATION. 

JOHN  III.  5. 

Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  Except  a  man  he 
horn  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit,  Jie  cannot  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

In  the  preceding  part  of  the  chapter,  our  Lord 
had  inculcated  upon  Nicodemus  the  absolute 
necessity  of  a  new  hirth,  in  order  to  a  sinful  man's 
even  perceiving  the  kingdom  of  God.  The 
candid  Pharisee,  to  whom  such  a  doctrine  ap- 
peared as  uncouth,  incredible,  and  absurd,  as  it 
does  at  this  day,  to  many  who  call  themselves 
enlightened  Christians,  expressed  his  astonish- 
ment, as  if  the  Redeemer  had  uttered  a  physical 


4  Nature  and  Necessity 

contradiction  ;  How  can  a  man  he  horn  when  he  is 
OLD  ?  can  he  enter  a  second  time  into  his  another's 
womh  and  he  horn  ?  Without  stopping  to  notice 
the  grossness  of  his  conceptions,  our  Lord  Jesus, 
with  the  majesty  of  a  teacher  sent  from  God,  re- 
peats his  assertion  with  a  slight  variation  in  the 
form,  which  might  lead  Nicodemus  to  some  general 
idea  of  his  meaning :  Verily,  verily,  I  say  unto 
you,  Except  a  man  he  horn  of  water  and  of  the 
Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

The  "  kingdom  of  God,"  means  that  gracious 
establishment  in  our  world,  of  which  he  is  the 
author ;  which  derives  all  its  principles  and 
efficiency  from  him,  of  which  the  design  is  to 
destroy  the  works  of  the  devil,  and  bring  back 
with  increased  beauty,  the  order  originally  set  up ; 
in  a  word,  to  make  such  a  display  of  his  righteous- 
ness, truth,  grace,  and  love,  in  and  towards  our 
rebel  world,  as  should  command  the  admiration 
of  all  holy  beings,  and  be  an  eternal  exhibition,  in 
all  places  of  his  dominion,  of  the  perfection  of  his 
government. 

This  "  kingdom  of  God,"  so  stupendous  in  its 
effi^cts,  is  yet  so  pure  and  spiritual  in  its  process, 
as  to  be  invisible  not  merely  to  eyes  of  flesh  and 
blood,  but  even  to  the  eyes  of  intellect  in  cor- 
rupted man,  until  they  have  undergone  a  reno- 
vation, and  have  received  a  power  suited  to  the 
nature  of  the  objects  which  they  are    called   to 


Of  Regeneration.  5 

contemplate.      Except  a  man  he  born  again,  he 
cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God. 

If  such  a  change  is  necessary  to  just  percep- 
tions of  that  kingdom,  how  much  more  clearly  is 
it  necessary  to  become  its  subject,  to  enjoy  its 
privileges,  and  share  in  its  rewards  !  So  neces- 
sary, lay  it  well  to  your  hearts,  that  the  eternal 
truth  has  pronounced,  Except  a  man  he  horn  of 
water  and  of  the  Sjnrit,  i.e.  of  the  purifying  Spirit, 
he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

As  the  doctrine  is  laid  down  from  the  lips  of 
Jesus  himself,  it  is  an  individual  concern,  and 
should  strike  us  with  a  sacred  horror,  lest,  after  all 
our  professions  of  the  truth,  our  standing  in  the 
house  of  God,  and  our  hopes  of  heaven,  we 
should  be  found  destitute  of  that  quahfication 
without  which  he  has  declared  that  not  a  man 
of  us  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

Let  us,  then,  as  we  do  not  wish, to  deceive  our 
own  souls,  and  sink  down  to  hell  in  the  full  sight 
of  heaven,  investigate  more  narrowly  what  it  is 
to  be  born  again,  and  whence  th"!  indisputable 
necessity  arises  to  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

When  a  human  being  is  born,  he  is  introduced 
into  a  world  of  which  it  is  not  possible  he  should 
have  any  previous  conception.  He  exists  by  a 
new  medium,  and  by  new  means.  His  growth 
proceeds  in  a  new  manner — his  faculties  expe- 
rience   a   new    development — he    acquires    new 


6  Nature  and  Necessity 

relations  and  tastes,  relishes  preferences,  plea- 
sures, pursuits,  adapted  to  and  growing  out  of 
his  new  state  of  existence.  Old  things,  literally, 
are  jJassed  aivay,  and  all  things  are  become  new. 
Were  he  remanded  back  to  his  first  mode  of  life 
he  would  immediately  expire,  because  it  contains 
no  provision  for  the  perpetuity  of  that  Ufe  which 
belongs  to  his  new  and  improved  state. 

In  natural  things  all  this  is  undeniable  ;  and 
as  our  Lord  has  employed  the  figure  of  a  hirth^ 
by  calHng  it  a  being  horn  again,  to  shadow  forth 
that  change  which  passes  upon  a  sinner  when 
he  "  enters  into  the  kingdom  of  God,"  there  must 
be  a  resemblance  between  them.  The  figure 
must  correspond,  in  its  essential  points,  with  the 
the  thing  figured,  or  it  is  no  illustration  of  the  sub- 
ject. The  natural  must  represent  the  spiritual 
birth^  The  entrance  into  this  world  by  being 
born,  an  entrance  into  the  kingdom  of  God  by 
being  born  again,  or  our  Lord's  solemn  and  im- 
pressive language,  gives  us  no  assistance  in  form- 
ing any  just  ideas  of  the  change  which  he  asserts 
to  be  necessary.  We  may,  therefore,  without 
pushing  the  analogy  of  natural  and  spiritual 
things  to  an  indiscreet  length,  safely  maintain  that 
our  Lord  holds  up  an  introduction  into  the  king- 
dom of  God,  as  an  entrance  upon  a  new  state  of 
being,  involving  a  thorough  change  of  perceptions, 
feelings,  and   habits;   so  that  if  any  man  he  in 


Of  Regeneration,  7 

Christ  Jesus,  he  is  a  new  creature ;  and  with  him 
old  things  are  passed  away ;  behold,  all  things  are 
become  new. 

1.  Man,  by  his  new  birth,  enters  into  the  king- 
dom of  God  as  a  kingdom  of  light. 

There  is  no  figure  in  the  scripture  more  com- 
monly used  to  depict  the  difference  between  our 
old  state  of  nature  and  our  new  one  by  grace, 
than  the  opposition  between  light  and  darkness. 
Christians  were  once  dark?icss,  but  are  now  light 
in  the  Lord.  God  hath  called  them  out  of  dark- 
ness into  his  inarvelous  light.  They  that  follow 
after  Jesus  Christ  shall  not  ivalk  in  darkness,  but 
shall  have  the  light  of  life.  The  eyes  of  their 
understanding  being  opened,  they  see  wondrous 
things  in  God's  law,  and  see  them  most  clearly 
where  they  least  expected  to  find  them.  They 
see  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  God  shining  in 
the  pp.rson  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  that  it  cannot 
possibly  shine  anywhere  else,  to  refresh,  and  con- 
sole, and  invigorate  the  sinner.  They  see  that 
Christ  Jesus,  who  was  to  them  not  only  ivithout 
form  or  comeliness,  but  even  a  stone  of  stumbling 
and  rock  of  offence,  is  the  perfection  of  beauty,  the 
very  brightness  of  the  Father's  glory,  and  the  ex- 
press image  of  his  person — is  the  corner-stone, 
elect,  precious,  which  God  hath  laid  in  Zion,  as  the 
sure  and  only  foundation,  upon  which,  whoso- 
ever believeth,  shall  not  be  ashamed.      They  see 


8  Nature  and  Necessity 

the  most  divine  consistency  and  excellence  in 
that  which  was  formerly  incomprehensible  and 
contradictory  to  their  mind  ;  the  union  of  truth 
and  mercy,  of  righteousness  and  peace,  of  re- 
demption by  the  blood  of  Jesus,  and  the  forgive- 
ness of  sins  according  to  the  riches  of  his  grace  : 
so  that  the  just  God  is  the  Savior.  They  see  that 
this  way  of  salvation  and  no  other  became  him  for 
whom  are  all  things  and  hy  whom  are  all  things, 
in  bringing  many  sons  unto  glory ;  and  that  it  is 
infinitely  impossible  they  should  be  deceived  in 
trusting  it.  I  know,  says  an  assured  believer,  1 
knoiv  ivhom  I  have  believed,  and  am  persuaded  that 
he  is  able  to  keep  that  which  I  have  committed  unto 
hi?n  against  that  day.  They  see  that  sin  is 
folly,  and  the  wages  of  sin  death — that  the  cup  of 
sinful  gratification,  in  which  they  formerly  took 
pleasure,  is  charged  with  poison,  and  was  actually 
working  their  destruction.  They  see  that  wis- 
dom's ways  are  ways  of  pleasantness,  and  her 
paths  the  only  ones  that  "lead  to  glory  and  to 
God,"  They  see,  in  an  inverted  order  and  pro- 
portion, the  things  of  time  and  sense,  and  the 
things  which  are  eternal — in  one  word,  they  see 
what  they  never  saw  before,  the  kingdom  of 
God! 

2.    When  a  man  enters  into  the  kingdom  of 
God,  he  exists  by  a  new  mediu?n. 


*        Of  Regeneration.  9 

This  new  medium  is  the  Spirit  of  God  in  his 
gracious  influence.  He  is  universally  the  Spirit 
of  life.  In  him  we  hve,  and  move,  and  have  our 
being.  All  the  created  life  in  the  universe  is 
from  him.  But  he  dispenses  it  agreeably  to  the 
nature  of  the  constitution  under  which  he  acts. 
The  vegetable,  animal,  and  intellectual  worlds 
have  their  lives  such  as  the  Spirit  of  God  gives 
them  for  the  purposes  they  are  intended  to  an- 
swer. It  is  no  otherwise  in  the  world  of  grace, 
the  kingdom  of  God.  There  too  it  is  the  Spirit 
that  quickeneth,  and  that  ivhich  is  ho7-n  of  the  Spirit 
is  spirit.  He  bestows  and  maintains  a  life  an- 
swerable to  the  part  which  the  saved  sinner  has  to 
perform,  the  affections  he  is  to  cherish,  the  blessed- 
ness he  is  to  enjoy,  the  glory  which  awaits  him. 
As  one  who  is  made  alive  unto  God,  not  a  faculty 
of  the  new  man  is  unfolded,  not  a  function  exer- 
cised, not  a  motion  performed,  but  by  the  Spirit  of 
God.  His  very  faith,  the  elementary  principle  of 
his  life,  is  from  the  Holy  Spirit;  so  that  he  lives  by 
the  Spirit,  he  walks  by  the  Spirit,  he  is  led  by  the 
Spirit.  By  the  Spirit  the  Christian  mortifies  the 
deeds  of  the  body;  he  brings  forth  fruit  unto  God; 
he  cultivates  his  love,  enjoys  his  fellowship,  is  spir- 
itually minded.  All  this  is  manifestly  a  neiv  life, 
infinitely  removed  from  any  merely  intellectual  at- 
tainment, however  refined  or  exalted.     A  fife  for 


10  Nature  and  Necessity 

which  earth  has  no  atmosphere,  and  which  can 
exist  nowhere  but  in  the  kingdom  of  God. 

3.  He  who  is  born  again  lives  by  new  means. 

These  are  the  word,  the  ordinances,  and  the 
grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  No  sooner  is  the 
babe  of  grace  born  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  than 
he  cries  for  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word.  The 
speculations  of  men,  and  their  discoveries,  even  of 
truth,  however  elegant  or  lofty,  are  at  best  but  "  dry 
breasts;"  they  afford  no  nutriment  to  his  soul,  nor 
can  satisfy  the  cravings  of  his  appetite;  and  in 
every  after  stage  of  his  existence,  it  is  the  bread  of 
God  which  came  down  from  heaven — it  is  the 
meat  which  endureth  to  everlasting  life — that  can 
either  fulfd  his  desires,  or  refresh  and  invigorate  his 
frame.  Then  the  word  of  God  is  found  of  him, 
and  he  eats  it,  and  it  is  unto  him  the  joy  and  the 
rejoicing  of  his  heart.  The  judgments  of  the  Lord 
are,  to  his  taste,  sweeter  than  the  honey  and  the 
honey-comb.  In  the  ordinances  of  Christ  he  finds 
those  green  pastures  and  those  gently  flowing 
waters  which  delighted  the  psalmist  and  equally 
delight  him.  These  ordinances  are  thus  precious 
and  powerful,  because  they  are  channels  through 
which  the  llcdecmer's  grace  pours  into  his  heart. 
Christ  himself  is  his  life.  His  jiesh  is  meat  in- 
deed, and  his  blood  is  drink  indeed.  His  words  are 
verified  in  a  believer's  experience.  He  that  eateth 
me,  even  he  shall  live  by  me.     So   that  the  life 


Of  Regeneration.  11 

ivhich  he  now  lives  in  the  flesh  is  hij  the  faith  of 
the  Son  of  God.  Thus  fed  and  nourished,  and 
filled  with  the  fulness  of  God,  he  groics  in  grace 
and  in  the  knowledge  of  our  ,  Lord  and  Savior 
Jesus  Christ,  until  that  which  is  perfect  is  come, 
and  he  is  admitted  into  his  presence  with  exceed- 
ing joy. 

4.  In  consequence  of  his  new  Urth,  his  faculties 
acquire  a  new  development. 

The  eyes  of  his  understanding  are  enlight- 
ened, so  that  he  perceives  what  is  the  hope  of  the 
calling  of  God,  and  ivhat  the  riches  of  the  glory, 
of  his  inheritance  in  the  saints.  As  a  naturaL 
man  he  received  not  the  tUngs  of  the  Spirit  of 
God,  because  they  ivere  foolishness  unto  him.  E 
being  lorn  of  the  Spirit,  he  has  spiritual  discern- 
ment, so  that  what  things  were  foolishness  to  him 
appear  to  be  the  wisdom  of  God,  and  tlie  power  of 
God  to  his  salvation. 

His  will,  which  before  was  all  enmity,  is  now 
made  pHant  and  ductile  to  the  will  of  God.  It  is 
the  rule  and  reason  of  his  duties  and  of  his  sub- 
mission. Show  a  Christian  that  what  he  is 
called  to  do  or  to  endure  is  agreeable  to  the  will 
of  his  heavenly  Father,  and  you  do  infinitely 
more  to  nerve  his  resolution  or  to  calm  his  spi- 
rit— to  render  him  courageous,  inflexible,  perse- 
vering, or  to  soften  or  subdue  his  soul — to  re- 
press   every  rising   murmur   and   bend  his   mind 


10 


Nature  and  Necessity 


"II 


which  earth  has  no  atmosphere,  and  which  can 
exist  nowhere  but  in  the  kingdom  of  God. 

3.  He  who  is  born  again  hves  by  new  means. 

These  are  the  word,  the  ordinances,  and  the 
grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  No  sooner  is  the 
babe  of  grace  born  into  the  kingdom  of  God,  than 
he  cries  for  the  sincere  milk  of  the  word.  The 
speculations  of  men,  and  their  discoveries,  even  of 
truth,  however  elegant  or  lofty,  are  at  best  but  "dry 
breasts;"  they  afford  no  nutriment  to  his  soul,  nor 
can  satisfy  the  cravings  of  his  appetite;  and  in 
every  after  stage  of  his  existence,  it  is  the  bread  of 
God  which  came  down  from  heaven — it  is  the 
meat  which  endureth  to  everlasting  life — that  can 
either  fulfil  his  desires,  or  refresh  and  invigorate  his 
frame.  Then  the  word  of  God  is  found  of  him, 
and  he  eats  it,  and  it  is  unto  him  the  joy  and  the 
rejoicing  of  his  heart.  The  judgments  of  the  Lord 
are,  to  his  taste,  sweeter  than  the  honey  and  the 
honey-comb.  In  the  ordinances  of  Christ  he  finds 
those  green  pastures  and  those  gently  flowing 
waters  which  delighted  the  psalmist  and  equally 
delight  him.  These  ordinances  are  thus  precious 
and  powerful,  because  they  are  channels  through 
which  the  Redeemer's  grace  pours  into  his  heart. 
Christ  himself  is  his  life.  His  flesh  is  meat  in- 
deed, and  his  blood  is  drink  indeed.  His  words  are 
verified  in  a  behever's  experience.  He  that  eateth 
me,  even  he  shall  live  by  me.     So   that  the  life 


vB'^^ 


aoil 


(rA.  ' 


#  Of  Regeneration.  13 

family  likeness,  by  which  the  members  are  iden- 
tified. Be  ye  thankful  is  a  precept  which  none 
but  a  Christian  obeys.  But  when  the  question 
is  concerning  their  supreme  and  ultimate  prefer- 
ence, the  soul  of  a  believer  fastens  upon  other 
objects,  and  he  values  the  things  of  this  transitory 
Ufe,  whatever  they  may  be,  quite  as  low  as,  when 
viewed  in  their  proper  relations  of  the  gift  of 
God,  he  values  them  highly.  What  things  were 
gain  to  me,  those  I  counted  loss  for  Christ ;  yea, 
doubtless,  arid  I  count  all  things  hut  loss  for  the 
excelleficy  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus,  my 
Lord.  The  principle  of  love,  which  has  its  per- 
fect reign  in  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  binds  to- 
gether the  society  of  holy  beings,  is  shed  abroad 
in  his  heart.  He  loves  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  Re- 
deemer, tenderly,  intensely,  fervently.  He  joins, 
without  a  quahfication,  in  that  sacred  curse  of 
the  apostle,  If  any  man  love  not  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  let  him  be  Anathema  Maran-atha.  He 
loves  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  as  the  original  fountain  of  all  saving  mer- 
cies, and  can,  from  his  inmost  soul,  re-echo  that 
benediction  of  Peter,  Blessed  be  the  God  and  Fa- 
ther of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  of  his  abun- 
dant mercy  hath  begotten  us  again  unto  a  living 
hope,  by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ  from  the 
dead.  He  loves  that  Holy  Spirit,  the  Comforter, 
the  Advocate,  who  comes   as   the   representative 


14  Nature  and  Necessity  * 

of  the  risen  Savior,  to  dwell  in  them,  to  abide 
with  them  forever,  as  the  Spirit  of  holiness,  as 
the  Spirit  of  grace  and  supplication,  to  make  the 
petitions  of  their  breast  a  counterpart  of  the 
intercessions  within  the  vail.  An  argument 
drawn  from  the  love  of  the  Spirit  touches  every 
spring  of  ingenuous  emotion  within  him.  How 
can  he  but  love,  with  his  purest  affections,  that 
gracious  Friend,  who  was  deputed  by  his  glori- 
fied Lord  to  woo  him  and  win  him  to  blessed- 
ness and  God  ;  to  take  possession  of  him  in  the 
Conqueror's  name ;  to  put  the  seal  of  heaven 
upon  his  forehead ;  to  subdue  and  finally  to  slay 
all  the  enemies  of  his  own  peace  and  of  his  Mas- 
ter's glory,  and  in  the  mean  time  as  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  pro7nise,  to  be  in  him  the  earnest  of  the 
purchased  possession^  and  to  seal  him  up  until  the 
day  of  redemption. 

Finally,  he  loves  the  children  of  God.  By  this 
we  know  that  ive  love  God,  lohen  ice  love  the 
childre7i  of  God.  ILvery  one  that  loveth  him 
that  hegat,  loveth  hiin  that  is  begotten  of  him. 
Formerly  they  were  no  more  to  him  than  kin- 
dred, business,  or  the  common  offices  of  hu- 
manity made  them.  Now  there  is  a  feeling  of 
brotherhood,  a  community  of  interests,  and  in- 
stincts. He  has  a  fellowship  with  them  which 
is  founded  upon  their  fellowship  with  the  Father 
and  ivith  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.     All  the  children 


Ifl  Of  Regeneration.  15 

of  God  are  like  him.  They  are  renewed  after 
his  image  ;  and  oue  of  the  first  effects  of  the 
Holy  Spirit's  agency  is  to  draw  the  hnes  of  that 
image  deep  and  indelible.  It  has  tints  which 
speak  the  beauty  and  coloring  of  the  skies.  It 
is  accompanied  with  the  rudiments  of  that  lan- 
guage which  sounds  barbarian  in  uncircumcised 
ears,  but  which  is  common  and  peculiar  to  re- 
newed men,  and  is  spoken  perfectly  and  alone  at 
the  court  of  the  great  King.  Their  speech  he- 
ivrayeth  them,  and  marks  a  dignity,  for  which, 
were  it  possible,  the  monarchs  of  the  world  would 
do  well  and  wisely  to  barter  their  crowns  and 
kmgdoms.  They  may  be  obscure  and  con- 
temptible to  outward  view.  Lazarus  hes  at 
your  palace-door,  perhaps,  hated  and  disre- 
garded. But  he  has  a  life-guard  of  a  celestial 
Prince.  Ministering  spirits  are  in  attendance, 
and  wait  for  the  signal  to  convey  him  away  to 
the  regions  of  light.  You  may  perhaps  see  him 
there  one  day,  when  a  drop  of  water  to  cool 
your  tongue  will  be  of  more  value  to  you  than 
all  that  earthly  grandeur  which  now  pampers 
pride,  and,  it  may  be,  shuts  you  out  from  the 
kingdom  of  God.  But  that  love  of  the  brethren, 
of  which  I  speak,  depends  not  upon  external 
things.  It  looks  to  the  image  of  God,  which 
can  send  forth  the  rays  of  its  glory  through  the 
poverty,    and   meanness,    and   misery,    of  earthly 


16  Nature  and  Necessity  P 

things.  It  is  not  ashamed  of  those  rags  of  which 
God  himself  is  not  ashamed,  and  which  comport 
with  a  heavenly  inheritance.  0  ye,  who  bear 
the  image  of  the  heavenly  as  ye  have  borne  that 
of  the  earthly  Adam,  whatever  be  your  condition 
here,  I  will  call  you  my  brothers,  my  sisters,  by 
a  dearer  tie  than  ever  bound  flesh  and  blood 
together — the  tie  of  the  Savior's  grace,  of  which 
the  whole  beauty  and  strength  shall  be  reserved 
for  our  rapturous  discovery  in  the  kingdom  of 
our  Father ! 

Lastly,  The  regenerated  sinner  has  new  rela- 
tions and  tastes,  preferences,  pleasures,  and  pur- 
suits, adapted  to  and  growing  out  of  his  new 
state  of  existence. 

1.  He  has  new  relations.  ^ 

To  God  the  Father.  In  his  natural  state,  his 
relations  were  those  of  a  rebelhous  creature  un- 
der sentence  of  death.  Now  he  is  reconciled 
to  God  by  the  death  of  his  Son.  The  sentence 
which  was  passed  against  him  is  reversed,  and 
he  stands  adjudged  to  life,  by  a  sentence  which 
there  is  no  power  in  the  universe  to  cancel. 
Who  shall  lay  anything  to  the  charge  of  God's 
elect  ?  It  is  God  that  justifeth !  His  relations 
as  a  rebel  are  replaced  by  those  of  a  dear  child, 
and  God  is  become  to  him  a  gracious  and  loving 
Ji'ather. 

To  God  the  Son,  who  has  redeemed  hmi  by 


■iSK 


Of  Rege7ieration.  17 

his  blood  and  subdued  him  by  his  grace  to  the 
obedience  of  the  faith.  He  is  accepted  in  the 
Beloved,  who  makes  intercession  for  him ;  who 
is  gone  up  on  high  to  prepare  a  place  for  him, 
and  shall  show  him,  at  last,  among  that  ran- 
somed family,  of  which  he  shines  in  the  honors 
of  the  first-born. 

To  God  the  Holy  Ghost.  No  longer  to  him 
the  Spirit  of  the  curse  but  of  blessings  manifold, 
who  is  now  his  companion,  his  guide,  his  pro- 
tector— who  shows  him  the  path  of  hfe,  and  will 
be  with  him  to  the  end,  crowning  him  with  ulti- 
mate and  complete  victory  over  all  adversaries, 
and  introducing  him  at  last  into  the  presence  of 
the  blessed  One  with  exceeding  joy. 

To  the  divine  law.  Armed  no  longer  with 
destructive  penalty,  but  commissioned  to  be  his 
preceptor,  to  guide  his  feet  into  the  way  of 
peace,  that  his  path,  being  the  path  of  the  just, 
shall  shine  brighter  and  brighter  unto  the  perfect 
day. 

To  the  providence  of  God,  which  shall  per- 
mit no  ill  to  befall  him — nothing  which  shall 
endanger  his  substantial  interests — nothing  which 
shall  not  promote  his  sanctification — working  an 
increase  of  grace — producing  the  peaceable  fruits 
of  righteousness,  and  causing  all  things  to  co- 
operate for  his  final  and  perfect  good. 

To   the  holy  angels,  with   whom  he  is  united 
2 


18  Nature  and  Necessity 

into  a  new  family  under  Christ  the  Head,  who 
love  him  for  the  sake  of  his  Elder  Brother,  and 
always  hehold  the  face  of  his  Father  in  heaven, 
waiting  to  do  him  good,  and  glad  to  be  employed 
at  his  command  in  acts  of  kindness  to  him  as  the 
heir  of  salvation. 

2.  Regenerated  men  have  new  tastes,  prefer- 
ences, and  pleasures.  For  those  things  which 
were  once  their  delight  they  have  lost  their  relish. 
They  that  are  Christ's  have  crucifi,ed  the  Jlesh 
ivith  its  affections  and  lusts.  They  taste  that 
the  Lord  is  gracious.  They  prefer  the  company 
and  condition  of  fellow-heirs.  Like  Moses,  they 
had  rather  suffer  affliction  with  the  people  of 
God,  than  enjoy  the  pdeasures  of  sin  for  a  season ; 
esteeming  the  reproach  of  Christ  greater  riches 
than  the  treasures  of  Egypt.  The  Lord  puts 
gladness  into  their  hearts  more  than  in  the  time 
when  corn  and  wine,  the  best  sensual  joys,  abound 
to  the  men  of  sin. 

3.  Regenerated  men  have  entirely  new  pur- 
suits. 

Like  other  Gentiles  they  once  walked  in  the 
vanity  of  their  minds — committing  iniquity  w'i\\\ 
greediness — minding  only  the  things  of  time  and 
sense — neglecting,  despising,  hating  whatsoever 
looked  farther  than  the  sphere  of  their  purblind 
vision,  and  aimed  at  an  inheritance  beyond  the 
grave.      Now    that   their   eyes    are    opened,    and 


Of  Regeneration.  19 

their  hearts  changed,  they  cast  their  glance  back 
with  shame  and  horror,  upon  the  practices  and 
the  perdition  they  have  escaped. 

God  hath  called  them  into  the  fellowship  of 
his  Son  Jesus  Christ,  and  they  7io  longer  run  to 
the  same  excess  of  riot.  They  have  chosen  the 
better  imrt,  which  shall  not  he  taken  from  them. 
They  have  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  strangers 
and  pilgrims,  who,  though  in  the  world,  are  not 
of  it,  but  are  marching  through  it  to  the  place 
of  their  destination,  to  the  land  of  the  shining 
ones.  Jliey  seek  a  better  country  than  earth,  even 
a  heavenly:  therefore  God  is  not  ashamed  to  be 
called  their  God,  for  he  hath  'prepared  for  them 
a  city.  With  their  eyes  fastened  on  that  city — 
the  peace  of  God  keeping  their  hearts  and  minds — 
and  with  the  hope  of  seeing  Jesus  as  he  is,  strong 
in  their  bosoms,  they  press  toward  the  prize  of 
their  high  calling,  till,  every  duty  fulfilled,  every 
obstacle  surmounted,  every  enemy  vanquished,  they 
are  welcomed  by  the  shout  of  the  holy  ones,  into 
the  presence  of  their  Father. 

Recollecting  and  comparing  the  remarks  which 
have  been  made  on  the  change,  commonly  called 
regeneration,  or  more  scripturally,  the  "being  born 
again,"  you  may  form  something  hke  a  just  idea 
of  those  who  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God — 
in  other  words,  of  true  Christians.  They  are 
brought  into  a  world  where  they  see  and  discern 


20  Nature  and  Necessity 

spiritual  objects  in  a  spiritual  light.      They  exist 
by  a   new  medium — the   Spirit  of  God.     Their 
hfe    is   maintained    by   new    means — the    divine 
word  and   ordinances.      Their  faculties  undergo 
a   new    development  —  understanding,    affections, 
will,  all  are  directed  to  new  and  holy  things ;  par- 
ticularly  a   sanctified   charity,   exerting   itself   in 
love   to  God  and  man,  rules  in  their  hearts — and 
finally,  they  have   new   relations,    tastes,   prefer- 
ences, pleasures,  and  pursuits — all  marking  a  com- 
plete and  radical  change  in  the  ruling  principles 
of  the  soul. 

This  description  of  the  new  man  rests  not 
upon  human  fancy,  but  on  the  divine  testi- 
mony :  every  part  and  portion  of  it  being  sup- 
ported by  clear  scriptural  authority,  and  comes 
to  your  consciences  with  Thus  saith  the  Lord. 
I  have  not  said  that  every  believer  is  at  all  times 
an  example  of  this  character,  in  the  whole  va- 
riety, extent,  and  power  of  its  graces;  nor  that 
he  may  not  fall  short,  now  in  one  and  then  in 
another.  But  I  say  that  these  graces,  of  their 
own  nature,  belong  to  that  new  life  which  the 
Holy  Ghost  implants  in  the  new  birth — that  they 
are  elements  which  enter  into  the  composition 
of  that  new  character  which  is  more  or  less 
unfolded  here,  and  shall  be  seen  in  all  its  pro- 
portions and  perfections  in  the  future  life — I  say 
that  they  all  of  them  belong  substantially  to  every 


Of  Regeneration.  21 

one  who  enters  the  kingdom  of  God.  That  he 
will  study  to  be  a  living  proof  of  their  presence 
and  prevalence — and  that  in  fact  they  are  ex- 
panded, the  seed  of  God  which  contains  them 
being  gradually  developed,  in  size,  strength,  and 
beauty,  as  the  several  circumstances  of  his  lot 
render  their  proper  exercise  necessary.  We  are 
now  to  inquire, 

11.  Into  the  absolute  necessity  of  such  a  change 
before  a  man  can  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 
It  arises, 

1.    From  the  divine  determination.      Without 
it,  says  the  Redeemer,    he  cannot  enter  into  the 
kingdom  of  God.     Be  your  religious  connections 
ever   so   pure — your   external   privileges  ever  so 
great — your  outward  profession  ever   so  decided 
— your  moral  conduct  among   men  ever  so  ex- 
emplary— the    question    still   remains,   have   you 
been   horn  again?      Without  this  all  other  ad- 
vantages  are    nothing  ;    all   other   recommenda- 
tions are  of  no  avail;  except  a  man  be  horn — lay 
it  well  to  your  hearts  that  there  be  no  fatal  mis- 
take— except  a  man  he  horn  of  water  and  of  the 
Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into  ths  kingdom  of  God. 
Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  eternal  Truth, 
has   settled  this   point  beyond  the  possibihty  of 
reconsideration.     Never  hope  that  it  may  be  re- 
versed;  that  it  may  be    revised;    that   some  fa- 
vorable judgment   may   be   passed,    which   shall 


4. 


22  Nature  and  Necessity 


admit  you  at  last,  however  unqualified ;  for, 
in   the 

2.  Place,  this  necessity  arises  from  the  very 
nature  of  the  case. 

For  this  purpose  was  the  Son  of  God  mani- 
fested, that  he  might  destroy  the  works  of  the 
devil.  Now  the  devil's  principal  work  in  our 
world  is  the  apostasy  and  corruption  of  man. 
It  is  in  the  human  soul  that  his  abominable  tri- 
umph is  to  be  seen  and  felt.  There  he  has  ef- 
faced the  glorious  image  of  his  Creator,  and  has 
drawn  his  own  hideous  hkeness  in  its  place. 
There  he  has  entered  in  as  a  foul  usurper;  he 
makes  the  heart  the  citadel  of  his  rebellion; 
and  marshals  under  his  command  all  the  facul- 
ties and  affections,  to  resist  the  authority  of  his 
rightful  Sovereign.  Can  a  man  thus  forsworn  to 
his  allegiance,  thus  allied  to  the  prince  of  dark- 
ness, thus  sharing  with  him  in  all  the  tempers 
and  principles  of  his  revolt;  can  a  man  thus  cir- 
cumstanced, suppose  yo,  be  admitted  into  that 
kingdom  which  is  set  up  for  the  annihilation  of 
Satan's  power,  and  supposes  a  renunciation  of 
his  cause,  and  a  desertion  of  his  standard,  in 
every  one  who  joins  himself  to  Messiah  the 
Prince,  and  becomes  a  loyal  subject  of  the  King 
of  kings?  Must  not  the  thieves  be  expelled, 
and  their  den  purified  by  celestial  ablution — be 
converted    into    a    temple   of    the    living   God  \ 


Of  Regeneration.  23 

Must  not  the  faculties  be  restored  to  their  origi- 
nal use,  and  ability  imparted  to  perform  the  du- 
ties and  to  relish  the  pleasures  of  this  new  and 
sacred  state  ?  And  as  the  kingdom  of  God  here 
is  preparatory  to  his  kingdom  hereafter,  or  rather 
is  but  a  part  of  that  same  dispensation,  shall  any 
who  are  not  qualified  for  the  kingdom  of  glory 
be  acknowledged  as  the  real  subjects  of  his 
grace  ?  Shall  any  thing  that  defileth,  or  that 
worketh  dbomination  find  a  place,  do  ye  imagine, 
in  the  regions  of  the  just?  And  shall  a  sinner, 
laden  with  guilt,  steeped  in  pollution,  his  heart 
filled  with  enmity  against  the  Holy  One,  and 
himself,  at  best,  whatever  be  his  appearance  in 
j  the  eyes  of  men,  but  an  accomplice  in  the  trea- 
sons of  the  pit;  shall  such  an  one  find  his  way 
into  the  number  of  those  whom  the  Lord  know- 
eth  to  he  his,  and  claim  his  place  in  the  ante- 
chamber of  the  King's  palace  ?  The  bosom  of 
every  sanctified  one,  of  all  who  shall  see  the 
King  in  his  glory,  swells  with  abhorrence.  The 
faces  even  of  those  who  are  yet  strangers  to  the 
commonwealth  of  Israel,  redden  with  shame  at 
the  impudence  of  the  expectation ;  and  every 
unseared  conscience  is  appalled  at  the  blas- 
phemy. No,  no,  the  thing  is  impossible !  Ye 
MUST  he  horn  again.  All  the  principles,  affec- 
tions, tastes,  and  habits,  of  your  natural  state, 
must   be    changed ;    a   revolution,  internal,   holy, 


24  Nature  and  Necessity 

complete,  must  be  effected,  or  you  bid  an  eter- 
nal adieu  to  the  kingdom  of  God.  It  is  a  terri- 
fying thought,  a  fearful  utterance  to  be  pro- 
claimed in  the  ears  of  professed  Christians,  yet 
an  utterance  of  imperious  necessity,  except  ye  be 
thus  changed,  except  ye  be  washed,  justified,  sanc- 
tified by  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  b}^  the 
Spirit  of  our  God,  ye  never  see  his  kingdom — not 
a  soul  of  you. 

Allow  me  then,  with  all  plainness  and  fidelity, 
to  press  this  point,  and  to  ask  you,  who  pass  in 
the  world  as  Christians,  do  you  know,  from  ex- 
perience, what  is  this  new  birth,  this  transition 
from  death  unto  life,  without  which  the  gates  of 
the  kingdom  of  God  are  barred  against  you  here, 
and  will  be  so  forever  hereafter  \  Do  you  know 
any  thing  about  it  ?  I  do  not  mean  what  you 
can  say  about  it.  There  are  many  who  have 
been  well  instructed  by  man,  on  this  as  on  other 
pecuhar  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  and  who  can 
make  long,  luminous,  and  eloquent  dissertations 
on  their  abstract  truth ;  yet  never  knew  their 
grace,  nor  felt  their  power,  nor  set  their  foot  in 
the  Idngdoni  of  God.  My  friends,  this  is  not 
enough.  You  may  have  abundance  of  intel- 
lectual light — as  much  speculative  wisdom  as 
the  most  distinguished  spirit  of  the  pit — you 
may  believe  the  truths  of  this  Bible  upon  con- 
clusive external  evidence — you  may  be  exempla- 


Of  Regeneration.  25 

ry  in  your  moral  deportment  toward  your  fel- 
low-creatures— participate  in  all  the  outward 
privileges  of  the  Christian  church — be  accounted 
a  behever  of  high  degree  before  mortal  tribu- 
nals, and  yet  the  renewing  spirit  of  God  have 
had  nothing  to  do  with  you.  The  world,  says 
the  beloved  John,  knoweth  us  not.  Is  not  the 
Christian  character  a  riddle  and  a  mystery,  con- 
taining something  which  you  cannot  unravel? 
When  he  speaks  of  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ 
cleansing  the.  conscience  from  dead  works  to  serve 
the  living  God — of  that  peace  which  passeth  all 
understanding — of  setting  his  affections  on  things 
above — of  looking  for  the  blessed  hope,  the  appear- 
ing of  the  great  God  our  Savior — does  he  not 
speak  a  foreign  language  1  Are  you  not  sen- 
sible there  is  something  here  which  you  do  not 
understand?  which  has  no  counterpart  in  your 
soul  ?  It  is  dreadfully  ominous.  There  is  every 
ground  to  fear  that  when  God  shall  judge  the 
secrets  of  men  by  Jesus  Christ,  you  may  prove 
destitute  of  the  only  thing  which  can  entitle  or 
quahfy  you  to  enter  his  heavenly  kingdom — all 
your  knowledge,  gifts,  profession,  and  privileges 
notwithstanding. 

And  is  it  so  indeed  ?  Must  we  admit  the  over- 
whelming thought,  that  many  whom  we  knew 
in  the  flesh,  whom  we  loved  for  their  amiable 
properties,  whom  we   hailed   as  brethren  in   the 


26  Nature  and  Necessity 

common  salvation,  must  at  last  sink  down  before 
our    faces   in   bottomless   perdition?      Shall   any 
pass  from  their  scats  in   this   sanctuary  into  that 
place  of  despair?     O  what  a  sweet  rehef  to  the 
foreboding  heart,  that  still  there  is  hoiJe !     It  has 
not  yet  come  to  the  dreadful  extremity,     O  then, 
what  shall   we    do    to   be   saved?       Who  utters 
that   agonizing  cry?     The  way  is  but  one,  and 
it  is    short.     Believe   on   the  Lord  Jesus    Christ 
and  thou  shalt    he   saved.      The   mouth  of  the 
Lord  hath  spoken  if.     There  is  no  peradventure 
in  the  case.     Thou  shalt  be  saved  ?     O  had  I 
but  that  precious  faith,  this    unbehef  would    not 
weigh  me  down,  like  a  mill-stone  of  death.     Go 
to  Jesus,  the   author  and  finisher  of  faith,  who 
has  it  to  give,  and  who  gives  it  freely.     Go  to 
him  with  your  stony  heart,  with  your  death  in 
trespasses  and  sins,  and  plead  with  him  for  the 
quickening  Spirit,     Never  quit  him  till  you  get 
an  answer  of  peace — throw   yourself  at  his  feet, 
and  lie  there  where  sinner  never  yet  perished,  till 
he  be  gracious  unto  you.     He  hath  said,  Him  that 
coraeth  unto  me,  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out. 

A  word  to  the  children  of  God,  and  I  have 
done.  Beloved,  now  arc  we  the  sons  of  God, 
Born  of  his  Spirit,  and  introduced  into  his  kmg- 
dom.  What  manner  of  persons  ought  we  to  he  in  all 
holy  conversation  and  godliness?  Exemplify  the 
beauties,    breathe    the    tempers,    speak    the    Ian- 


Of  Regeneration.  27 

guage,  cherish  the  loftiness,  of  the  kingdom.  It 
is  not  for  those  who  are  of  such  high  descent 
and  such  infinite  expectations,  to  stoop  to  those 
toys  which  the  children  of  earth  mistake  for 
riches,  nor  to  defile  themselves  with  the  pollu- 
tions which  they  miscall  pleasures.  Keep  un- 
spotted that  white  robe  in  which  you  were  clothed 
on  the  day  of  your  new  birth,  the  day  of  your 
espousals,  and  of  the  gladness  of  your  heart. 
Know  ye  that  the  very  angels  of  God  can  tell 
you,  as  the  heirs  of  the  kingdom,  only  by  your 
walking  as  Christ  also  ivalked?  It  is  the  hght 
of  the  divine  image  shining  out  in  its  brightness 
that  renders  your  names  visible  in  the  catalogue 
of  God's  elect.  Ponder  much  your  obligations 
to  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  who  loved  you 
with  an  everlasting  love — so  loved  you  as  to  give 
himself  an  offering  for  you.  The  bitterness  of 
Gethsemane  and  the  anguish  of  Calvary,  the  rage 
of  hell  and  the  curse  of  God,  could  not  shake 
his  loving  purpose,  nor  make  him  flinch  from 
his  resolution  to  save  you.  From  the  sentence 
of  God's  righteous  law  and  the  danger  of  eternal 
death — from  the  filth  and  power  of  your  depravity 
— the  service,  the  communion,  and  the  recom- 
pense of  the  devil — he  hath  called  you  to  a  rank 
above  the  angels,  and  to  all  the  blessedness  of 
the  kingdom  of  God.  Oh!  We  will  remember 
thy  love  more  than  wine.      To  him  that  loved  ug. 


28       Nature  and  Necessity  of  Regeneration. 

and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood, 
and  hath  7nade  us  kings  and  priests  unto  his  God 
and  Father ;  to  hi?n,  with  all  affections,  be  glory 
and  honor,  dominion  and  power,  forever  and  ever, 
amen  ! 


WORKS 


FLESH  AND  SPIRIT 

DISTINGUISHED. 


SERMON.  V. 


WORKS  OF  THE  FLESH  AND  SPIRIT  DISTINGUISHED. 


JOHN   III.  6. 


That  which  is  horn  of  the  flesh  is  flesh  ;  and  that 
which  is  horn  of  the  Spirit  is  Spirit. 

The  doctrine  of  the  new  hirth,  which  the  pro- 
phet of  the  church  has  declared  to  be  the  origi- 
nal of  all  spiritual  character,  and  all  heavenly 
hope,  and  without  which  he  has  decided  most 
peremptorily,  a  man  can7iot  enter  into  the  king- 
dom of  God,  sounds  most  uncouth  in  the  ears  of 
corrupted  reason.  It  is  so  entirely  out  of  the 
way  of  human  wisdom — it  contains  a  fact  so 
utterly  anomalous,  or  rather  so  repugnant  to  the 
known  constitution  of  either  physical   or    moral 


32  Works  oj  the  Flesh 

nature,  that  even  masters  in  Israel  have  pro- 
nounced the  plain  meaning  of  the  terms  in  which 
it  is  proposed,  to  be  absurd  and  fanatical,  and 
have  had  recourse  to  a  monstrous  figure  in  order 
to  make  our  Redeemer's  language  intelligible,  and 
vindicate  him  from  the  charge  of  Puritanism. 
Men,  to  whom  tlie  tilings  of  the  Spirit  of  God  in 
their  obvious  construction  are  foolishness,  love 
to  take  refuge  in  this  system  of  figuring ;  and 
when  they  have  so  strained  and  altered  the  phrase- 
ology of  the  Bible  as  not  to  leave  standing  a 
syllable  which  savors  of  its  sense,  or  from  which 
you  could  by  any  possibility  guess  at  its  proposi- 
tions, they  please  themselves  with  having  made 
It  speak  a  rational  Christianity,  when  they  have 
only  destroyed  every  character  which  can  alarm 
the  guilty,  or  give  peace  to  the  alarmed.  Thus 
it  has  fared  with  the  doctrine  of  regeneration. 
The  words  of  our  Lord  are  so  very  simple  and 
plain,  that  it  requires  some  effort  of  ingenuity 
to  mistake  them.  Yet  they  have  not  been  able 
to  escape.  Criticism  has  laid  her  foul  hands 
upon  them,  and  by  the  aid  of  that  machine  called 
a  figure,  had  at  one  time  diluted  them  into 
baptism  of  water  by  the  hands  of  a  regularly 
ordained  priest,  and  at  another  has  made 
them  typical  of  outward  reformation,  though  al- 
ways in  such  a  form  as  to  bespeak  something 
clearly  within  the  power  of  corrupted  man,   and 


And  Spirit  Distinguished.  33 

effectually  to  exclude  the  similitude  of  a  birth. 
But  it  is  so  palpable  as  to  need  no  ■  proof  that 
our  Lord  designates  every  effect  produced  by  the 
agency  of  man  Jlesh,  and  the  effects  produced 
by  the  agency  of  the  Spirit  of  God  spirit — that 
these  effects  are  essentially  contrasted — that 
they  allow  of  no  mixture,  no  concurrence,  in  the 
formation  of  the  new  birth — that  they  are,  and 
necessarily  must  be,  as  different  and  opposite  as 
flesh  and  spirit  are — that  alter,  modify,  refine,  as 
much  as  you  will,  that  which  proceeds  from  the 
flesh,  it  is  flesh  still  and  nothing  else,  partaking 
exclusively  of  the  nature  of  its  author — so  al- 
ter, modify,  debase,  if  you  can,  that  which  pro- 
ceeds from  the  Spirit  of  God,  it  is  spirit  still 
and  nothing  else,  partaking  exclusively  of  the 
nature  of  its  blessed  Author.  He  therefore  de- 
nies that  in  this  new  birth  there  can  be  any  co- 
partnership, co-operation,  or  concern  whatever,  of 
the  power  of  man  with  the  power  of  the  Holy 
Spirit.  They  who  become  the  subjects  of  it  are 
born,  not  of  the  jlesh,  nor  of  blood,  nor  of  the  will 
of  man,  but  of  God. 

Our  unrenewed  nature,  with  all  its  propensi- 
ties and  habits,  acts  and  inclinations,  the  scrip- 
ture emphatically  terms  flesh  ;  using  it  as  equiv- 
alent with  our  old  man — with  the  body  of  sin, 
which  is  to  be  put  off,  to  be  crucified,  to  be  de- 
stroyed, but  never  to  be  amended.     There  is  not 

VOL.  IV. — 3 


34  Works  of  the  Flesh 

such  an  idea  to  be  found  in  the  whole  Bible,  no/ 
any  thing  which  contains  a  shadow  of  it,  as  that 
of  reforming  the  works  of  the  devil.  The  Lord 
performs  his  gracious  work  by  creating  a  new 
man  in  Christ  Jesus,  not  by  repairing  the  old 
man.  Yet  it  is  a  common  and  ruinous  error  for 
a  sinner  to  imagine,  that  if  he  can  do  all  that 
is  requisite  to  insure  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  he 
can  do  much.  If  he  cannot  completely  renew 
his  heart,  and  make  himself  meet  for  the  inheri- 
tance of  the  saints  in  light,  he  can  do  a  great 
deal — or  if  not  a  great  deal,  can  do  something 
towards  forwarding  this  desirable  work.  So 
that  the  Spirit  of  God,  though  he  may  have  a 
large  or  even  principal  share  in  the  glory,  shall 
not  have  it  all ;  but  he  shall  himself  receive  due 
credit  for  improving  the  opportunities  he  had. 
Without  taking  up  your  time  in  exposing  the  ig- 
norance and  arrogance  of  such  a  pretension,  I 
shall  briefly  observe,  that  it  finds  its  way  into  the 
heart  of  every  unconverted  man,  and  has  wound 
its  insidious  coil  so  firmly  around  many  hearersf 
of  the  gospel,  that  nothing  short  of  a  divine  deliv- 
erer can  set  them  at  liberty. 

To  counteract  so  pernicious  but  natural  a  mis- 
take is  the  manifest  design  of  the  text.  Hear  it, 
professed  disciple,  and  let  it  stir  thee  up  to  a 
rigorous  examination  of  thy  exercise  and  attain- 


And  Spirit  Distinguished.  35 

ments :  That  which  is  born  of  thejlesh  is  flesh  ; 
and  that  which  is  horn  of  the  Spirit  is  spirit. 

Let  me  entreat  you  to  accompany  me  through 
a  short  mquny  into  those  rehgious  phenomena 
which,  however  specious,  may  rise  no  higher 
than  corrupt  nature,  and  wherein  the  work  of 
the  Spirit  of  God  is  to  be  distinguished  from 
them. 

I.  Those  religious  phenomena  to  which  cor- 
rupted nature  is  equal.      That  which  is  horn  of  the 

flesh   is    FLESH. 

1.  Early  impressions  of  serious  things  in  a  reh- 
gidus  community. 

Where  a  reverence  of  the  gospel  is  estab- 
lished— where  it  pervades  all  the  social  habits, 
and  especially  where  our  own  friends  are  under 
its  influence — nothing  is  more  natural  or  certain 
than  that,  under  such  circumstances,  the  religious 
feeling  should  become  characteristic,  and  that 
many  persons  should  imagine  themselves  to  be 
true  Christians,  who  know  of  no  other  power 
operating  upon  their  minds  than  the  power  of 
imitation.  How  far  this  may  be  carried,  it  is  im- 
possible to  tell,  but  it  is  lamentable  to  think 
how  deep  and  how  extensive  are  the  delusions 
which  accompany  it,  and  how  immensely  diffi- 
cult is  the  recovery  of  persons  involved  in  it. 
They  w^ere  brought  up  in  the  profession  of  the 
Christian  religion — it  may  be  in  the  very  exact 


36  Works  of  the  Flesh 

and  austere  performance  of  religious  duties. 
Their  parents,  tiieir  ancestors,  were  all  most 
exemplary  in  the  same  way,  and  who,  if  not  them- 
selves, should  have  a  claim  to  the  Christian  char- 
acter? I  shall  not  admonish  my  hearers  that 
there  is  no  such  thing  as  prescription  in  Chris- 
tianity for  a  man's  personal  interest  in  its  privi- 
leges. Unhappily,  the  argument  is  very  short, 
very  plain,  and  brings  us  directly  to  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  text. 

We  happen  to  have  known  some  who  had  no 
other  religion  than  an  hereditary  religion,  and 
who  were  reported  as  religiously  inclined,  but 
whose  course  soon  proved  how  untrue  w^as  this 
opinion  respecting  them.  We  have  seen  num- 
bers of  them  gradually  throwing  off  their  reli- 
gious inclinations,  and  becoming  perfectly  con- 
tent with  the  reputation  of  honest  men.  This 
reputation,  indeed,  they  keep  up,  and  it  is  highly 
honorable  in  them  to  do  so ;  but  for  any  resem- 
blance to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ — for  any  evi- 
dence that  they  pay  the  least  regard  to  his  autho- 
rity or  his  glory — for  any  that  they  ever  think  of 
him — you  might  as  well,  to  use  a  comparison 
of  the  ancients,  you  might  as  well  look  for  a 
knot  in  a  bulrush.  I  speak  of  all  those  who 
have  been  religiously  educated,  and  have  turned 
their  backs  upon  that  lioly  name  which  they 
were  early  taught  to  fear.     I  bring  into  my  re- 


And  Sjnrit  Distinguished.  37 

monstrance  millions  of  facts,  and  what  is  infi- 
nitely more  terrible,  millions  of  immortal  souls, 
that  have  sunk  down  to  hell  with  all  the  benefit 
of  a  traditionary  faith.  If  you  will  not  hear  me, 
hear  them  who  have  perished,  and  who  can 
testify,  by  the  most  tremendous  of  all  experience, 
that  the  religion  of  the  father  will  not  save  the 
son ;  and  that  all  in  which  they  trusted  was 
nothing  more  than  the  doings  of  the  flesh,  which 
never  brought  them  out  of  the  condemned  world, 
nor  ever  enabled  them  to  see  the  kingdom  of 
God. 

2.  There  are  not  a  few  among  the  men  of 
more  inquisitive  minds,  who  hold  the  previous 
class  of  religionists  in  sufficient  contempt.  To 
inherit  their  faith  as  they  would  a  tract  of  land 
or  a  bag  of  money ;  to  be  taught  religion  as  they 
were  taught  their  alphabet;  or  to  join  the  cry 
and  follow  in  the  course  of  the  multitude  around 
them — appears  to  them  ignoble  and  base,  a  sort 
of  swmdling  for  reputation  upon  the  credit  of 
more  honest  men.  Christianity,  they  are  told 
upon  the  highest  of  all  authority,  is  a  reasonable 
service,  and  they  cannot  conceive  how  any  man, 
who  consults  his  reasonable  nature,  can  make 
an  intelligent  profession  of  a  religion  of  which 
he  has  not  examined  the  proofs ;  and  he  finds  no 
difficulty  in  explaining  the  apostasy  of  those 
whom    change    of  climate,    of  company,    or   the 


38  Works  of  the  Flesh 

habits  of  society,  have  introduced  into  a  scene 
where  their  former  principles  and  profession,  if 
not  disreputable,  were  at  least  of  no  advantage. 
For  themselves  they  are  satisfied  upon  mature 
examination,  that  revelation  is  true,  and  fur- 
nishes the  only  sohd  ground  of  present  peace 
and  future  blessedness.  Demonstration  is  always 
the  same ;  conviction  founded  upon  it  never 
alters ;  and  consequently,  go  where  they  will,  they 
carry  their  religion  with  them.  Christianity  is 
never  insulted,  nor  Christians  put  to  the  blush, 
by  their  infidehty. 

We  are  not  now  to  learn  that  behef  arising 
from  personal  research  and  conviction,  is  in  mat- 
ters of  reasoning  of  a  much  higher  order  than  any 
persuasion  induced  by  the  authority  or  example 
of  others.  And  as  there  is  no  necessity,  so  we 
have  no  inclination,  to  disparage  the  rational 
evidence  for  Christianity,  and  the  conviction 
growing  out  of  it.  We  maintain,  on  the  con- 
trary, that  genuine  conviction  of  revealed  truth 
is  the  most  rational  thing  imaginable ;  and  that 
they  who  reject  it,  labor  under  disordered  intel- 
lects. But  it  is  still  a  most  serious  inquiry,  whe- 
ther the  merely  rational  belief  in  the  truth  of  the 
scriptures,  such  as  has  been  described,  has  any 
connection  with  the  salvation  of  the  soul;  or 
involves  in  the  least  degree  the  favor  of  God ; 
or  rises  any  higher  than  what  our  Lord  calls  the 


And  Spirit  Distinguished.  3'9 

flesh ;  i.  e.  whether  it  any  more  secures  than  can 
be  attained  by  mere  carnal  reason,  or  is  expe- 
rienced by  the  carnal  mind,  which  is  enmity 
against  God. 

In  his  dispensations  towards  sinners,  the  Most 
High  deals  with  them  as  with  rational  creatures, 
in  whom  their  reason,  though  depraved,  is  not 
destroyed.  He  has  therefore  fortified  his  revela- 
tion by  every  sort  of  moral  proof;  so  that  liis 
servants  may  always  be  ahle  to  give  a  reason  of 
the  hope  that  is  in  them ;  that  every  attack  upon 
tlieir  faith  and  hope  may  be  successfully  re- 
pelled, and  unbelievers  left  without  excuse.  But 
who  does  not  see,  that  in  order  to  accomplish 
its  purpose,  this  must  proceed  upon  principles 
common  to  the  friends  and  the  enemies  of  his 
Gospel ;  upon  principles  strictly  within  the  reach 
of  the  unsanctified  mind  ?  Accordingly,  a  man  by 
the  use  of  his  natural  though  corrupted  reason, 
may  easily  arrive  at  the  conclusion  that  the 
Bible  is  the  word  of  God ;  nay,  that  every  par- 
ticular doctrine  therein  revealed,  not  excluding 
the  very  doctrines  on  which  the  salvation  of  the 
soul  depends,  are  undeniably  his  word,  and  may 
be  quite  as  sound  in  his  speculative  opinions  as 
tlie  believer  who  stands  highest  in  the  records 
of  life.  All  this  is  nothing  more  than  drawing 
fair  conclusions  from  simple  and  well-established 
premises ;  and  were  this  enough  to  constitute  a 


40  Works  of  the  Flesh 

true  Christian,  the  best  logician  would  certainly 
be  the  soundest  believer.  But  what  is  the  fact  ? 
Are  the  most  humble,  tender,  spiritual  Chris- 
tians to  be  found  in  the'  ranks  of  these  men  of 
reason  1  Does  their  religion  ever  stand  in  the 
way  of  those  tempers  and  passions,  which,  the 
Scripture  being  judge,  shut  them  out  of  the  ki?ig- 
dom  of  God?  Do  we  not  see  them  to  be  as 
careless  of  their  immortal  souls,  and  of  the  things 
that  accompany  salvation,  as  if  going  to  heaven 
were  a  matter  of  course  \  or  let  men  hve  as 
they  please,  there  were  no  possible  risk  of  being 
refused  an  entrance  1  Do  we  not  often  see  them 
reproaching,  reviling,  persecuting,  those  who  do 
not  choose  to  be  cast  at  last  among  tlie  devil  and 
his  angels,  for  the  sake  of  company  \  Do  they 
not  deal  as  freely  in  that  courtly  vocabulary 
which  finds  no  more  respectful  epithets  for  those 
who  give  all  diligence  to  make  tlieir  calling 
and  election  sure,  than  "  enthusiasts,"  "  fanatics," 
"  priest-ridden,"  "  hypocrites,"  as  the  veriest  in- 
fidel in  the  land  \  Do  they  not  all  the  while 
retain  their  religion,  profess  to  be  undoubted  be- 
lievers, and  inveigh  loudly  against  those  spiritual 
ruffians  who  would  snatch  away  from  us  our 
faith  and  hope  ?  What  shall  we  now  say  to 
these  things,  with  the  proofs  of  which  the  whole 
face  of  the  community  is  overspread  ?  Shall  we 
say   that   these    men    are,    in  a  scriptural   sense, 


And  Spirit  Distinguished.  41 

Christians  1  that  they  have  any  mark  about 
them  of  the  neic  creation  ?  that  you  could  so 
much  as  suspect  them  to  be  God's  workmanship, 
created  in  Christ  Jesus  unto  good  works  ?  The 
question  is  almost  a  libel  upon  human  under- 
standing, corrupted  as  it  is  X  No,  my  friends, 
the  utmost  which  this  Christianity  can  pretend 
to,  is  a  persuasion  of  the  fact  that  the  scripture 
is  the  word  of  God,  and  every  one  of  its  doc- 
trines a  part  of  his  testimony.  But  between 
believing  that  they  are  his  word,  and  believing 
the  testimony  of  God,  there  is  as  wide  a  differ- 
ence as  between  being  in  the  kingdom  of  God 
and  being  out  of  it.  Apostasy  does  not  prevent 
clear  perceptions  of  abstract  truth.  The  wick- 
edest man  upon  earth  may  have  his  head  filled 
with  right  notions.  Suppose  ye  that  the  devil 
doubts  of  the  divine  original  of  scripture,  or  that 
he  is  not  well  versed  in  their  sense  ?  It  is  his 
puny  disciples  here,  who,  swelled  with  the  pride 
of  their  philosophical  character,  murder  and  man- 
gle it  in  a  way  of  which  Satan  himself  would  be 
ashamed.  There  is,  therefore,  nothing  in  all 
we  have  been  considering,  that  may  not  be  the 
fruit  of  depraved  principle — nothing  that  at  all 
requires  a  better  or  holier  parentage.  It  may 
be,  it  often  is,  horn  of  the  flesh,  and  as  worthless 
and  unholy  as  the  source  from  which  it  springs — it 
is  flesh. 


m 


42  Works  of  the  Flesh 

3.  Some  men's  aficctions  are  much  engaged  in 
religious  things — they  undergo  strong  excite- 
ment, and  these  pass  for  evidence  of  a  divine 
change. 

In  drawing  this  conchision,  has  due  allowance 
been  made  for  the  excitement  of  the  preacher; 
for  the  energy,  the  pathos,  the  eloquence,  of  his 
manner  ?  Have  you  not  known  some  hearers  of 
the  word  to  be  awed  into  seriousness,  softened 
mto  tenderness,  melted  into  tears  ?  to  experience 
these  effects  repeatedly,  and  yet  manifest  to  the 
entire  conviction  of  every  observer,  that  they 
were  only  for  the  moment— a  shower  upon  a 
rock ;  copious  while  the  cloud  poured,  and  in- 
stantly dried  off.  Has  due  allowance  been 
made  for  the  occasion,  often  of  itself  so  touching 
as  to  subdue  the  feelings  of  the  heart  ?  for  the 
time  of  life,  or  for  the  natural  temperament, 
which,  in  minds  of  gentler  mould,  is  extremely 
susceptible  of  soft  impressions  ?  for  the  power  of 
sympathy,  which  the  strongest  nerve  cannot  al- 
ways resist  ?  and  which  bears  down  alike  him 
who  came  to  pray,  and  him  who  came  to  scoff? 
What  multitudes  of  conversions,  as  they  have 
been  hastily  called,  has  our  day  seen,  which  were 
to  be  referred  to  groanings,  and  screechings, 
and  fallings,  and  faintings,  and  other  extrava- 
gancies of  a  heated  imagination,  which  have 
yet  been  extolled  as  the  work   of  the  Spirit  of 


# 


And  Spirit  Distinguished.  43 

God,  and  which  have  left  behind  them  nothing 
but  that  animal  lassitude  which  follows  a  fit  of 
great  excitement,  or  it  may  be  something  worse  ? 
To  this  general  remark  upon  the  effects  of  high- 
wrought  feehng,  ministers  of  the  gospel  ought 
to  pay  some  attention.  When  God  bestows  a 
pecuhar  talent,  he  intends  that  it  shall  be  em- 
ployed, and  the  employment  is  generally  ob- 
vious. The  power  of  strong  reasoning — of  rous- 
ing the  secure — of  comforting  the  afflicted — of 
animating  exhortation — of  pathetic  persuasion,  he 
has  distributed  as  it  pleased  him;  to  some  after 
this  manner,  to  another  after  that.  Employ  what 
he  has  given  you  for  the  glory  of  the  Giver. 
Reason — rouse — comfort — exhort — persuade,  as 
he  hath  enabled  you  ;  he  will  take  care  that  his 
own  gifts,  properly  used,  shall  do  no  harm.  But 
never  attempt,  by  unhallowed  means,  to  stir  up 
artificial  emotions.  Violent  intonations,  vehe- 
ment utterances,  furious  gesticulations,  irreverent 
boldness,  you  may  put  off  for  zeal,  but  you 
must  not  father  your  absurdities,  nor  its  effects, 
upon  the  Spirit  of  God.  Sooner  or  later  he  will 
bring  you  into  disgrace,  and  show  the  spiritual 
children  whom  you  think  you  have  begotten  in 
the  gospel,  to  be  indeed  born  after  your  own  im- 
age. There  is  nothing  in  all  this  commotion  of 
the  affections,  nor  all  the  religion  which  is  as- 
cribed   to   it,    that    the  Jiesh  may   not   produce. 


44  WorJis  of  the  Flesh 

Bear  in  mind  the  parable  of  the  stony-ground 
hearers,  and  the  pungent  lamentation  over  ancient 
failures.  O  Ej'fhraim,  what  shall  1  do  unto  thee  ? 
O  Judah,  u'haf  shall  I  do  unto  thee  1  For  your 
goodness  is  as  the  morning  cloud ;  and  as  the  early 
dew  it  goeth  away. 

4.  Among  the  professors  of  Christianity,  are 
some  who  lay  a  stress  upon  their  works  and  their 
zeal. 

It  is  quite  an  aphorism  in  religion,  that  faith 
without  works  is  dead,  heing  alone :  and  when  the 
world  is  so  full  of  lip-service,  of  Pharisees  who 
say  and  do  not,  it  is  some  relief  to  find  any  who 
do  as  well  as  say ;  and  it  seems  harsh  to  question 
any  thing  in  the  shape  of  practical  piety.  We 
might  however  freely  admit  the  amount  of  what 
is  done,  and  yet  tax  the  age,  much  as  its  liberal- 
ity has  been  celebrated,  with  great  niggardli- 
ness in  promoting  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ. 
It  is  by  the  contributions  of  poor  people,  swelling 
the  mass  by  their  number,  that  those  mighty 
operations  which  are  now  shaking  the  nations, 
have  been  chiefly  commenced  and  carried  on. 
To  hear  wealthy  men,  wearing  the  Christian 
name,  pleading  their  inability  to  do  what  the 
twentieth  part  of  their  means,  in  the  hands  of 
those  whose  hearts  lie  in  the  right  place,  would 
do  without  difficulty,  without  complaint,  with- 
out touching  on   a  single   earthly   comfort,   does 


And  Spirit  Distinguished.  45 

not  give  a  very  high  idea  of  prevaihng  bounty ; 
and  the  complacency  with  which  they  talk  of 
the  wonderful  occurrences  of  the  day,  looks  very 
Uke  a  petition  to  the  poor  for  a  scrap  of  reputa- 
tion. But  passing  this :  allowing  as  much  credit 
as  is  claimed  on  the  score  of  alms  and  other 
good  works ;  are  there  no  donations  to  pious  and 
charitable  purposes  given  but  from  a  motive  which 
the  Searcher  of  hearts  approves,  and  will  re- 
ward i  This  question,  it  is  true,  hes  between 
the  donor  and  his  God.  But  to  him,  it  is  awfully 
serious.  How  much  is  done  from  mere  consti- 
tutional generosity  1  How  much  from  the  in- 
fluence of  example  1  How  much  from  the  force 
of  importunity  ?  How  much  from  sectarian 
pride  I  How  much  from  sheer  vanity  l  all  of 
which  is  set  down  to  the  credit  of  religion ;  but 
not  a  farthing  of  which  will  be  allowed  as  such 
in  that  day  when  the  Son  of  man  shall  appear  in 
his  glory,  to  give  to  every  one  according  to  his 
works  !  In  this  great  inquiry,  the  quantity  will 
be  of  no  account ;  the  widow's  mite  will  not  out- 
weigh the  rich  man's  treasures,  if  the  motive  of 
both  be  alike  reprehensible  :  and  neither  will 
be  of  any  value,  where  evangelical  charity  was 
wanting.  You  may  give  all  your  goods  to  feed 
the  poor,  or  to  do  the  community  any  other  ser- 
vice, yet  without  that  heavenly  grace,  charity, 
you  will  be  nothing.     How  many  splendid  menu- 


46  Works  of  the  Flesh 

merits  are  at  this  hour  in  existence  of  so  false 
and  delusive  a  Hberality?  It  is  very  true,  that 
few  churches  are  now  built,  or  hospitals  founded, 
or  colleges  endowed,  by  the  death-bed  legacies 
of  men,  who  seek  to  compensate  in  the  last  mo- 
ment by  such  acts  of  equivocal  piety,  whole 
lives  of  iniquity  and  rapine,  and  to  bribe  the 
keeper  of  purgatory  by  the  tender  of  gold  which 
they  cannot  retain ;  but  there  are  other,  cheaper, 
more  Christian-hke  forms  of  deception,  where 
the  light  of  truth  has  driven  popery  with  her 
monks,  penalties,  pardons,  and  the  whole  rabble 
of  her  imposture  from  all  respect  in  the  public 
opinion. 

We  live  at  a  time  when  the  zeal  for  diffusing 
Bibles  and  for  sending  missionaries  swallows  up 
almost  ever}'  other  species  of  religious  zeal,  and 
when  mere  men  of  the  world,  judges,  generals, 
politicians,  are  among  the  foremost  m  seconding 
and  sometimes  in  leading  the  popular  enthu- 
siasm. It  is  good — it  is  glorious — it  is  the  doing 
of  the  Lord.  The  silver  is  his — the  gold  is  his 
— and  he  is  pressing  it  into  Messiah's  service. 
But  do  none  of  those  who  are  engaged  in  this 
holy  work  lay  upon  it  an  unscriptural  stress  ? 
Is  there  not  a  righteousness  fabricated  from  it 
of  no  firmer  texture,  nor  valuable  material,  than 
the  giving  a  Bible  to  a  pauper  or  a  dollar  to  an 
Indian    mission  ?     Do    not    many  deceive    their 


And  Spirit  Distinguished.  47 

souls  with  a  notion,  that  to  be  a  member  of  a 
Bible  society  is  nearly  if  not  quite  equivalent  to 
entering  into  the  kingdom  of  God  ?  And,  though 
the  idea  is  too  gross  to  be  formally  avowed,  is 
there  not  a  fancy  lurking  about  the  heart,  that  a 
five-dollar  bill  is  about  enough  to  purchase  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  ?  If  we  should  judge  from 
the  reluctance  with  which  some  men  part  with 
a  Kttle  money  for  a  purpose  confessedly  the  most 
noble  that  is  prosecuted  upon  earth,  our  conclu- 
sion would  not  be  far  from  the  fact.  It  will  be 
well  if  individuals,  who  are  trusting  to  such  per- 
formances as  these,  do  not  at  last  meet  with  that 
fatal  and  final  repulse  :  /  know  you  not ;  depart 
from  me,  ye  workers  of  iniquity  I  All  such  things 
can  be  explained  without  the  supposition  of  a 
particle  of  preternatural  grace.  They  may  all 
at  best  proceed  from  the  workings  of  a  corrupted 
principle  ;  they  can  be  no  better  nor  purer  than 
their  source,  for  that  which  is  born  of  the  Jiesh  is 

FLESH. 

This  train  of  reflection  might  be  carried  out 
into  a  long  detail ;  but  I  forbear,  and  call  your 
attention  to  notice  by  what,  in  the 

II.  Place,  a  real  work  of  the  Spirit  of  God 
may  be  distinguished  from  every  work  of  the 
flesh.     That  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is  spirit. 

1.  Where  the  Spirit  of  God  performs  his  gra- 
cious work,   he  introduces  into  the  soul   a  new 


48  Works  of  the  Flesh 

principle  altogether.  This  he  has  himself  called 
a  new  man — a  new  creature — a  being  created 
anew  in  Christ  Jesus.  It  is  more  than  an  im- 
provement of  our  old  faculties  or  affections.  It 
partakes  of  the  nature  of  its  blessed  Author.  It  is 
spirit — all  spirit — nothing  but  spirit.  It  can  re- 
ceive no  aliment  from  the  flesh.  It  is  supported 
by  its  immediate  intercourse  with  the  eternal 
Spirit.  It  brings  into  a  fellowship,  of  which 
"flesh"  has  no  manner  of  conception,  with  the 
living  God  It  is  hidden — a  sacred  secret — hid- 
den with  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ — with  Christ  in 
God — as  perfectly  impervious  to  the  observation 
and  inexplicable  to  the  understanding  of  carnal 
men,  as  are  the  thoughts  and  affections  of  Christ 
himself  The  world  knoiceth  us  not,  because  it 
knew  him  not.  When  you  can  find  out  Jesus 
Christ,  you  can  find  out  a  Christian,  but  not  till 
then.  He  is  utterly  out  of  your  world,  the  scene 
of  your  investigation.  He  is,  as  a  Christian, 
where  your  researches  never  penetrated,  and 
never  can  penetrate.  I  undertake  not  to  explain 
his  interior  and  spiritual  Ufe.  I  have  no  language 
that  can  describe  him,  nor  have  strangers  to  his 
pecuharities  any  ideas  to  comprehend  him.  But 
I  bless  the  Lord  my  Savior,  that  when  the  sim- 
ple proposition  is  announced,  that  which  is  horn 
of  the  Spirit  is  spirit,  there  are  some  within 
these  walls  whose  yearning  hearts    fly  into   his 


And  Spirit  Distinguished.  49 

meaning,  and  can  attest  the  fact.  They  have 
just  as  good  evidence  of  its  existence  as  they 
have  of  their  own — their  consciousness.  I  can- 
not impart  this  evidence  to  the  mind  of  another 
man ;  but  to  me  it  is  paramount  to  all  others. 
The  Spirit  of  God  also  witnesses  with  their  spirits 
that  they  are  the  children  of  God;  giving  such 
perceptions  and  consciousness  of  the  fact  as  set 
all  disputation  at  defiance.  These  indeed  are 
favored  moments  even  to  the  most  favored  disci- 
ples. But  there  are  other  things,  other  con- 
sciousnesses, which,  in  the  midst  of  general 
doubt,  and  under  the  blackness  of  temptations, 
show  infallibly  the  operation  of  the  Spirit  of  grace, 
a  new  hfe,  a  new  principle,  and  order  of  living, 
for, 

2.  That  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  beheves  the 
testimony  of  God. 

It  was  suggested  above,  that  to  believe  that 
the  Bible  is  the  testimony  of  God,  and  to  beheve 
the  testimony  itself,  makes  all  the  difference  of 
being  in  the  kingdom  of  God  and  being  out  of 
it — all  the  difference  between  being  real  be- 
lievers in  Christ  Jesus  and  beUevers  in  name 
only — between  having  the  form  of  godhness  and 
its  power  also.  This  is  a  pecuharity  common 
to  all  that  have  been  horn  of  the  Spirit.  It  is 
the  idiom  of  their  character,  which  the  men  of 
mere   rational   conviction    can    never   learn.      A 

VOL.  IV. — 4 


60  Works  of  the  Flesh 

plain  Christian  believes  every  jot  and  tittle  of 
divine  revelation  because  God  hath  said  it,  and 
looks  no  farther  for  the  ground  of  his  faith.  Ar- 
guments from  miracles,  from  prophecy,  and  the 
whole  stock  of  moral  proofs,  internal  and  exter- 
nal, have,  properly  speaking,  nothing  to  do  in 
forming  his  persuasion.  He  has  higher,  holier, 
more  perfect  ground,  on  which  to  build  his  faith, 
than  the  most  conclusive  rcasoner  the  world  ever 
saw  is  able  to  furnish.  He  believes  the  witness 
of  God  because  it  is  his  witness.  He  has  got 
up  to  the  fountain-head  of  truth — the  most  vic- 
torious evidence  that  can  shed  its  light  into  the 
created  mind.  When  he  perceives  the  authority 
of  the  ever-blessed  God  in  its  glory  and  majesty, 
no  mathematician  was  ever  half  so  sure  of  a  de- 
monstration in  Euclid  as  he  is  of  the  truth  of 
that  portion  of  the  word  of  grace  thus  divinely 
attested.  This  explains  at  once  why  Christians, 
though  without  any  learning — though  extremely 
limited  in  their  capacities  of  attaining  it — are 
yet  so  firm  in  their  faith,  and  are  not  to  be  cir- 
cumvented by  those  who  sjyeak  lies  i)i  hypoo-isi/y 
nor  by  the  craftiness  of  those  icho  lie  in  wait  to 
deceive.  They  may  catch  in  their  toils,  as  we 
see  every  day,  the  witty,  the  wise,  the  disputer, 
the  reasoner,  of  this  world,  but  they  lay  not 
their  sacrilegious  hands  upon  God's  elect.  He 
has   given    them   by    the   regenerating   Spirit   an 


And  Spirit  Distinguished.  51 

understanding  to  know  him  that  is  truth,  and 
has  made  them  so  one  with  him  as  to  he  in  Mm 
that  is  true,  even  in  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.  This 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  true  God,  therefore  he  is  the 
eternal  hfe.  Nor  is  there  any  power  in  hell  or 
out  of  it  to  move  them  from  that  ground.  Seest 
thou  that  man  1  He  walks  by  faith,  not  by 
sight  He  is  one  of  those  guileless  souls,  who 
cannot  argue  for  Christ,  but  he  can  burn  for 
him ;  and  while  the  flames  are  consuming  his 
body,  can  commit  it  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  with  in- 
finite confidence  of  its  being  raised  up  in  glory 
to  an  incorruptible  inheritance.  How  came  he 
by  his  faith  ?  Does  it  rest  upon  your  reasoning, 
or  any  thing  of  the  sort  ?  Upon  i/our  reason- 
ing ? — a  poor,  feeble,  blundering  creature  like 
himself!  Why  he  would  not  burn  one  of  his 
fingers  for  a  string  of  your  syllogisms  long  enough 
to  belt  the  earth  ;  and  a  rare  fool  would  he  be  if 
he  should.  Other  influence  has  been  at  work. 
The  Spirit  of  faith  has  touched  his  heart.  He 
has  revealed  Christ  Jesus  in  him  the  hope  of 
glory,  and  made  his  faith  to  he  the  evidence  of 
things  not  seen,  the  substance  of  things  hoped 
for.  Through  this  faith  the  elders  obtained  a 
good  report,  and  the  same  faith  must  possess,  and 
fill,  and  rule,  in  every  bosom  'that  entertains  a 
scriptural  expectation  of  seeing  God. 


5^  Works  of  the  Flesh 

3.  That  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  cherishes 
the  highest  esteem  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  He 
shall  glorify  me,  said  the  Saviour,  for  he  shall  take 
of  mine  and  shall  show  it  unto  you. 

There  are  people,  with  great  professions  of 
rehgion,  that  take  much  pains  to  hinder  the 
world  from  thinking  too  highly  of  Jesus  Christ. 
They  even  try  to  degrade  him  below  his  own 
angels  ;  and  if  that  were  not  enough,  can  feed 
their  vanity  by  a  comparison  between  him  and 
themselves,  in  which  they  have  quite  the  ad- 
vantage. A  ringleader  in  one  of  these  sects 
did  not  scruple  thus  to  qualify  his  commendation, 
that  "Jesus  Christ  was  a  very  good  man,  but 
no  philosopher."  He  claimed  to  be  a  philoso- 
pher himself,  and  who  then  was  the  more  impor- 
tant personage,  in  his  eyes,  is  manifest  enough. 
(Such  blasphemy,  which  treats  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  with  less  respect  than  does  the  devil 
himself,  never  came  from  the  Holy  Spirit,  nor 
fouled  the  mouths  of  any  who  were  born  of 
him.)  The  scriptures,  on  the  contrary,  magnify 
him  with  every  form  of  elevated  and  high- 
wrought  expression.  There  he  has  a  name 
which  is  above  every  name.  He  is  seated  at  the 
right  hand  of  God.  He  sends  forth  the  angels 
to  do  his  will,  and  glorious  as  they  are,  they  are 
commanded  to  worship  him  even  when  he  was 
an  incarnate  babe.      He  sits  arbiter  of  the  fate 


And  Spirit  Distinguished.  53 

of  men  and  devils.  The  great  empire  of  the 
grave  is  under  his  control.  The  generations  of 
the  dead  come  forth  at  his  bidding,  and  not  one 
of  them  shall  escape  his  righteous  doom.  In 
short,  every  name  proper  to  the  true  God  ;  every 
term  by  which  the  attributes  of  Deity  can  be 
expressed;  the  whole  stock  of  human  language 
is  exhausted  to  heap  up  epithets  of  glory  upon 
Jesus  Christ.  There  are  things  with  which  the 
soul  of  a  believer  is  in  perfect  accord.  They 
delight  him,  even  to  rapture.  Nothing  good  and 
glorious  is  too  good  and  glorious  for  his  gracious 
Redeemer.  Has  he  loved  ?ne  and  given  himself 
for  me  ?  Do  I  owe  my  place  among  the  ran- 
somed of  the  Lord  to  his  unmerited,  unutterable 
grace  ?  Come,  fellow-citizens  of  the  saints,  ye 
household  of  salvation,  strike  all  your  harps  at 
once  ?  Come,  ye  holy  ones  on  earth,  and  ye 
holy  ones  in  heaven,  tune  up  your  sweetest  an- 
thems !  Lift  up  your  grateful  hands,  and  crown 
him  Lord  of  all !  Thus  a  Ch%istian  feels  towards 
his  Redeemer.  It  is  that  which  is  born  of  the 
Spirit,  breathing  the  air  and  enjoying  the  elas- 
ticity of  the  spiritual  world. 

4.  That  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  makes  in- 
cessant use  of  the  Spiritual  Saviour. 

He  has  said,  without  me  ye  can  do  nothing ; 
and  so  a  Christian  finds  it.  His  attachment  to 
his  Redeemer,  is  not  to  make  a  parade  on  a  gala 


64         '  Works  of  the  Flesh 

day,  and  have  done  with  it ;  it  is  necessary  for 
his  habitual  walk.  The  blood  of  Christ,  which 
has  washed  away  his  sins — the  merits  of  Christ, 
from  which  he  gets  his  title  to  eternal  hfe,  must 
every  hour  exert  their  virtue  upon  his  soul.  He 
cannot  go  to  the  throne  of  grace  without  the 
blood  of  sacrifice,  and  the  interceding  priest — 
can  perform  none  of  his  duties,  endure  none  of 
his  trials,  face  none  of  his  foes,  but  in  the  strength 
of  his  heavenly  leader — hut  through  Christ 
strengthening  him  he  can  do  all  things.  This 
man  is  a  Christian,  born  of  the  Spirit;  all  his 
characteristics  are  spiritual,  and  with  him  Christ 
is  all  and  in  all. 

Now,  friends  and  brethren,  who  and  what  are 
ye  ?  To  whom  do  you  belong,  and  whither  are 
ye  going  ?  Search  and  look :  for  upon  the  de- 
cision of  .these  questions  hangs  your  eternity; 
and  you  may  be  just  upon  the  brink.  Do  not 
deceive  yourselves.  A  Christian  is  not  of  earthly 
materials  or  manufacture.  Flesh  and  blood,  with 
all  its  powers,  attainments,  and  persuasions,  can 
do  nothing  for  you.  The  Spirit  of  God  must 
do  the  work ;  he  must  open  your  eyes,  must  re- 
new your  hearts,  must  lead  you  to  Jesus,  must  do 
everything ;  for  if  you  are  his,  you  are  his  work- 
manship created  in  Christ  Jesus  vnto  good  works, 
ivhich  God  hath  before  'prepared  that  ye  should 
walk  in   them.      But   if  any   man  have   not  the 


And  Spirit  Distinguished.  55 

Spirit  of  Christ,  he  is  none  of  his ;  and  whatever 
may  be  his  security,  his  hope,  or  his  presump- 
tion, will  be  disowned  in  that  day,  when  one 
word  of  approbation  will  be  worth  more  than  a 
thousand  worlds. 


TRUE   HONOR. 


dERMON    V-I, 


TRUE    HONOR. 


JOHN   V.  44. 


Hoiv  can  ye  helieve,  ivhich  receive  honor  one  of 
another,  and  seek  not  the  honor  that  cometh 
from  God  only  ? 

Next  to  a  being  perfectly  holy,  there  is  nothing 
so  indefatigable  as  a  mind  given  to  wickedness. 
Let  the  life  of  Jesus  Christ  supply  the  proof. 
From  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  his  public 
course,  he  encountered  the  contradiction  of  sin- 
ners ;  walked  among  their  snares  ;  and  sustained, 
in  every  shape,  ceaseless  conflict  with  their  hatred 
and  hostility.  That  they  were  invariably  foiled, 
exposed,  disgraced,  did  not  in  the  least  deter  them 


60  True  Honor. 

from  repeating  the  same  hopeless  experiment.  In 
fact,  having  all  shared  in  their  turns  the  same  fate, 
the  ignominy  of  their  defeat  was  too  much  divided 
to  be  a  reproach.  The  Pharisee  could  not  point 
at  the  Sadducees,  nor  these  at  the  Herodians,  be- 
cause the  finger  of  scorn  could  be  pointed  back 
again.  There  was  no  public  opinion  which  they 
regarded,  to  frown  them  into  decency.  It  came 
to  be  a  practical  maxim  with  them,  that  to  be  de- 
feated and  silenced  by  Jesus  Christ,  was  no  dis- 
grace ;  and  they  were  too  closely  united  in  the 
brotherhood  of  guilt  to  suffer  any  abatement  of 
their  rancor.  (The  professing  world  affords,  so 
far  as  I  know,  but  one  parallel  of  their  malevolence 
and  persecution ;  and  that  is  to  be  found  among 
the  self-styled  rational  and  philosophical  Chris- 
tians.) They  seized  the  occasion  of  his  curing  the 
unpotent  man  on  the  Sabbath-day,  to  accuse  him 
as  a  breaker  of  God's  laws ;  and  when  he  vindi- 
cated himself  on  this  principle,  My  Father  ivork- 
eth  hitherto  and  I  work,  they  heightened  their 
accusation  into  a  charge  of  blasphemy,  and  sought 
the  more  to  kill  him,  because  he  had  not  only  broken 
the  Sabbath,  but  said  that  God  was  his  father,  mak- 
ing himself  equal  ivith  God.  What  wrongs  and 
insults  did  the  Lord  Jesus  endure  at  the  hands  of 
these  ancient  Unitarians  !  (Wrongs  and  insults 
to  be  surpassed  only  by  those  from  the  heirs  of 
their  unbelief,  the  modern  Unitarians.)     Their  im- 


True  Honor.  61 

putatioii  of  blasphemy  he  repels,  by  claiming  such 
prerogatives,  powers,  and  honors,  as  are  proper  to 
God  only  ;  and  winds  up  his  defence,  by  giving 
these  hypocrites  a  sensible  proof  that  he  was  all 
what  they  deemed  it  blasphemy  in  him  to  pretend 
to  be ;  gave  them  this  sensible  proof  by  breaking 
open  the  recesses  of  their  hearts,  bringing  into 
light  their  secret  principles  of  action,  and  provmg 
to  their  faces  the  base  and  abominable  motives  of 
their  conduct.  The  applause  of  men  lay  at  the 
bottom  of  their  zeal  for  God,  and  effectually  ex- 
cluded all  love  for  him,  and  all  faith  in  his  testi- 
mony. How  can  ye  helieve  ivho  receive  honor  oile 
of  another,  and  seek  not  the  honor  which  cometh 
from   God  only. 

This  rebuke  to  pharisaical  pride,  and  explana- 
tion of  pharasaical  unbelief,  contains  a  principle 
of  universal  application :  the  inconsistency  of  re- 
ceiving honor  frommen,  with  the  faith  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  They  are  such  eternal  opposites, 
that  tl  oy  cannot  live  in  the  same  heart.  Who- 
ever cleaves  to  the  one  must  let  the  other  go. 
We  cannot,  indeed,  determine  the  existence  in 
this  m.'itter  of  a  corrupt  propensity  with  the  pre- 
cision »  f  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  nor  could  any  of 
his  ap^ -itles;  because  we  have  not,  nor  had  they, 
like  hii]i,  the  faculty  of  "Searching  the  heart.  But 
availin  r  ourselves  of  his  declarations,  and  pursuing 
the  pail  which  his  spirit  has  marked  out  for  us  in 


62  True  Honor. 

the  word,  we  shall,  by  his  grace,  be  enabled  to  as- 
sist others  in  the  important  and  difficult  work  of 
searching  their  own  hearts.  Let  us  therefore,  try 
to  fix  by  this  rule,  the  reigning  principles  of  men 
who  receive  honor  one  of  another ;  and  why  they 
produce  an  impediment,  amounting  to  an  absolute 
impossibility,  of  believing  on  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  ? 

I.  What  are  the  reigning  principles  of  men  who 
receive  honor  one  of  another  \ 

A  good  name,  saith  the  scripture,  is  rather  to  be 
chosen  than  great  riches.  He  who  has  once  dis- 
carded it  from  the  number  of  his  inestimable 
things — who  is  at  no  pains  to  keep  it  up — who 
would  as  soon  commit  an  act  from  which  his  char- 
acter is  sure  to  lose  as  one  from  which  it  is  as 
sure  to  gain,  has  found  his  place  among  the  off- 
scourings of  human  nature,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
dangerous  enemies  to  human  peace.  It  is  a  false 
indulgence,  a  pernicious  liberty,  which  permits  a 
man  to  go  at  large  who  has  forgotten  to  blush. 
We  should  sadly  mistake  the  Redeemer's  mean- 
ing, if  we  supposed  that  he  intends  to  untie  the 
bands  of  civil  society,  or  those  ruffian  hands  which 
would  gladly  engage  in  the  detestable  work.  His 
own  people  guard  their  characters  with  the  utmost 
vigilance,  and  are  the  foremost  to  cultivate  ichatso- 
ever  things  are  of  good  report.  To  have  therefore 
a  good  name — to  be   well  reported   of  for  good 


True  Honor.  63 

works — to  enjoy  the  praises  of  other  men,  for  up- 
right principles  and  worthy  deeds,  is  no  obstacle  to 
our  faith ;  it  is  its  natural  consequence. 

But  the  scriptures,  while  they  set  its  just  value 
upon  a  fair  fame  in  the  eyes  of  men,  never  propose 
it  as  the  end,  or  as  the  recompense  of  actions  sub- 
stantially coiTect  They  refer  every  thing  to  the 
authority  of  God  as  its  reason,  and  to  its  approba- 
tion as  its  reward.  Their  design  throughout  is  to 
bring  us  back  to  the  God  from  whom  we  have 
deeply  revolted  ;  to  break  the  power  of  all  meaner 
influences  and  motives ;  to  elevate  our  views  to 
him,  the  only  source  of  duty,  honor,  and  happi- 
ness ;  making  him  the  centre  of  all  our  affections, 
as  he  is  of  all  holy  inteUigences ;  and  turning  all 
our  thoughts  to  him  first,  him  midst,  him  last, 
him  without  end. 

The  character  of  the  Pharisees  was  precisely 
the  reverse  of  this :  and  so  is  the  character  of  all 
who,  like  them,  receive  honor  one  of  another.  Good 
things  they  did,  many  of  them — good  things  for 
number  and  kind,  which  far  outstrip  the  deeds  of 
some  who  think  that  they  sufficiently  prove  their 
faith  by  their  works.  The  Pharisee,  who  thanked 
God  that  he  was  not  like  other  men,  extortioners, 
adulterers,  unjust,  nor  even  like  ths  poor  sinner  of  a 
publican  that  stood  beside  him,  icho  fasted  twice  in 
the  week,  who  gave  tithes  of  all  that  he  possessed^ 
leaves  far  behind  him  in  the  race  both  of  negative 


H  Tme  He 


on  or. 


?ind  positive  virtues,  many  a  gallant  and  many  a 
grave  professor  of  Christianity.     O  could  we  bring 
them  to  but  the  half  of  the  Pharisee's  liberality, 
there  should  never  be  any  lack  of  means  for  reli- 
gious purposes.     Yet  he  who  knew  what  was  in 
man,  has  planted  his  anathema  upon  the  Phari- 
see's glory,  and  has  told  us  most  explicitly,  that 
except  our  7'ighteousness  shall  exceed  the  righteous- 
ness of  the  Sci'ihes  and  Pharisees,  we  shall  in  no 
case  enter   into   the   hingdom  of  heaven.     Why, 
what  was  it  that  spoiled  so  fair  a  show  ?     What 
made  so   rich    a  stockholder  a  bankrupt   in    the 
wealth  of  the  skies,  and  exhibited  him  to  the  eyes 
of  holy  angels  and  men,  a  more  wretched  pauper 
than  the  beggar  whose  rags  were  his  wardrobe, 
and    his  seat   a    dunghill  ?       This :  he    loved  the 
praise  of  men  more  than  the  praise  of  God.      All 
his  devotions  were  performed,  all  his  virtues  dis- 
played, all  his  distinctions  sought,  for  the  ostenta- 
tion of  human  notice,  and  the  breath  of  human 
applause.     God  was  not  in  all  his  thoughts — that 
which  he  coveted,  he  obtained — he  got  his  reward, 
and  lost  his  soul.      So  shall  ony  heavenly  Father 
do  also  unto  you,  if  your  inward  p)ai'ts,  like  his,  <?;•<? 
found  to  be  very  rottenness.    Let  us  take  this  dread- 
ful character,  enlightened  as  it  is  with  the  curse 
of  God,  and  carry  it  round  among  the  religious 
community,  to  see   if  it  warns  none  to  fear  an 
equally  terrible  fate. 


True  Honor.  65 

Let  us  see  whether  its  brand  of  reprobation  is 
not  upon  many  a  profession  which  cries  '*  Lord, 
Lord,"  with  the  air  of  a  disciple,  and  confidently 
calculates  upon  a  triumphant  issue. 

A  marked  revolution  has  taken  place  within  a 
few  years  in  the  public  sentiment.  Most  of  us  can 
remember  when  scepticism,  like  an  overflowing 
stream,  rushed  through  our  land.  It  penetrated 
alike  into  the  cabinet,  the  office,  the  shop,  the  em- 
ployments of  agriculture ;  the  circulation  of  the 
Bible  was  stopped ;  the  bench,  the  bar,  the  schools 
of  medicine  and  of  merchandise,  the  mechanic 
and  the  farmer,  were  infected  with  the  mania. 
Our  boys  must  set  up  for  free-thinking  before  they 
were  capable  of  thinking  at  all.  To  laugh  at  the 
scriptures  was  quite  as  necessary  for  a  fine  gentle- 
man as  to  defraud  his  humble  creditors  by  petty 
acts  of  dishonesty.  A  scrap  of  Paine's  stolen 
ribaldry  was  a  sufficient  answer  to  the  Christian 
bigot.  In  short,  a  vast  multitude  of  people  in  these 
United  States  agreed  in  crying  down  the  Bible, 
and  crying  up  the  philosopher  of  infideUty. 

The  transition  was  too  violent.  The  shock  to 
national  habit  and  the  national  conscience  alto- 
gether insupportable.  People,  awakened  from  their 
dream,  discovered  that  when  they  threw  away  the 
Bible  they  were  without  God,  and  that  without 
God  they  were  without  hope  in  the  world. 

A  revulsion,  forcible  in  proportion  to  the  extreme 

VOL.  IV. — 5 


$6  True  Honor. 

into  which  they  had  been  driven,  was  the  natural 
result ;  and  the  tide  of  opinion  set  in  strongly  in  a 
contrary,  i.  e.  in  a  Christian  direction — a  direction 
in  which  it  continues  to  run  at  this  day,  and  so 
may  it  continue  to  run  till  that  day  when  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  shall  take  to  him  his  great  poiver  and 
reign. 

To  the  current  of  public  opinion,  returning 
into  its  wonted  channels  there  was  another  cause, 
which  powerfully  co-operated  in  aiding  the  same 
general  effect. 

In  some  parts  of  the  country  infidelity  was 
found  to  be  intimately  associated  with  odious 
politics  and  straightway  those  very  men  who,  if 
left  to  themselves,  had  been  thorough  infidels, 
became  vigorous  Christians,  that  they  might  be 
removed  as  far  as  possible  from  every  point  of 
communion  with  Jacohlns ;  insomuch  that  in  a 
great  town,  among  the  descendants  of  the  pilgrims, 
whose  public  worship  had  fallen  into  disrepute, 
and  was  much  neglected  among  the  higher  orders, 
it  became  a  fashion  to  go  to  church,  which  fashion 
has  continued :  though  whether  the  ministrations 
which  tliev  support  have  anything  in  common 
with  the  faith  of  their  fathers  or  »witli  the  word  of 
God,  or  can  in  any  manner  assist  a  sinner  who 
desires  to  know  what  he  shall  do  to  be  saved,  is  a 
question  on  which  none  but  the  most  melancholy 
negatives   can  be  given.     Besides,  in  many  sec- 


True  Honor.  07 

tions  of  the  land,  there  have  been  manifest  effu- 
sions of  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God.  He  has  been  as 
the  rain,  and  he  has  been  as  the  dew — sometimes 
more  powerfully  and  sometimes  more  gently  influ- 
encing the  hearts  of  men.  Many,  we  have  reason 
to  hope,  were  brought  safely  under  the  bond  of 
God's  covenant ;  and  many,  we  have  reason  to 
fear,  have  turned  like  the  dog  to  his  vomit,  and 
like  the  sow  that  was  ivashed  to  her  wallowing  in 
the  inire. 

These  things  concurred  in  giving  to  the  public 
feeling  an  irresistible  impulse.  With  all  the  secret 
enmity  which  prevails  against  true  religion,  as  im- 
placable and  bitter  as  ever,  there  is  great  external 
respect  shown  to  the  forms  and  professions  of 
Christianit,y.  Infidel  is  now  a  term  of  reproach. 
Such  being  the  state  of  society,  can  we  imagine 
that  all  who  name  the  name  of  Christ  do  it  in 
simplicity  and  truth  \  from  the  constraining  power 
of  his  love  ?  Among  the  ten  thousand  hail  masters 
which  fill  our  ears  are  there  no  Iscariot  voices? 
No  lips  which  convert  the  token  of  tender  affection 
into  the  medium  of  treason  ?  No  hearts  which  are 
apparently  with  the  disciples  and  in  reality  with 
the  adversary  1  No  hand  which  meets  the  hand 
of  Jesus  in  the  dish,  and  is  prepared  to  make  mer- 
chandise of  his  blood  !  Should  a  mighty  loind 
from  heaven  shake  our  fig-tree,  would  not  the 
ground  be  strewed  loith  her  untimely  figs  1 


68  True  Honor. 

To  speek  plainly,  are  there  not  multitudes 
among  professed  Christians,  whose  sole  or  chief 
motive  is  the  reputation  which  they  enjoy  ?  Who 
are  held  to  their  allegiance  purely  by  the  lie  of 
})opularity  \  There  is  some  credit  attached  to  the 
Christian  name ;  and  while  that  credit  lasts,  none 
are  more  strenuous  Christians.  But  should  the 
times  change — should  God  in  his  providence  per- 
mit the  enemy  again  to  come  in  like  a  flood — 
should  Christianity  be  accounted  infamous,  or  be 
subjected  to  heavy  worldly  sacrifices  or  personal 
perils — alas  !  alas  !  for  the  visible  church  !  How 
would  her  ranks  be  thinned  by  desertion  !  and  the 
Captain  of  salvation  be  left  with  those  few  follow- 
ers to  whom  he  has  given  the  white  stone  and  the 
new  name!  (Those  synagogues,  indeed,  nick- 
named rational  churches,  would  lose  nothing. 
Times  of  apostasy  are  always  propitious  to  the 
recruiting  service  of  Satan,  and  apostates  the  first 
to  grasp  at  his  bounty-money,  and  to  cry,  Who  is 
like  unto  the  heastl  Who  is  able  to  make  war 
with  him  ?  But)  How  many  of  whom  we  had 
reason  to  hope  for  things  that  accompany  salvation 
would  draw  hack  unto  perdition  ?  Examine  quickly, 
while  the  hour  of  forbearance  is  nbt  yet  exhausted, 
ye  who  are  allured  by  the  respectability  of  religion 
into  a  profession  of  the  faith.  You  who  are  at 
best  receiving   honor  one  of  another,   and  your 


True  Honor.  6>9 

name  at  present  must  be  erased  from  the  album, 
the  hst  of  those  who  beheve  on  the  Son  of  God. 

In  the  next  place,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  when 
he  ascended  wp  on  high,  received  gifts  for  men, 
which  he  distributes  in  his  sovereignty  as  it  hath 
pleased  him.  Among  these  corruption  finds  much 
fuel  for  unhallowed  profession.     To  particularize: 

1.  The  ministry  of  the  word. 

By  the  very  nature  of  the  case,  as  well  as  by  the 
institution  of  the  Redeemer,  this  office  exercises  a 
powerful  influence  upon  the  church  and  on  society,, 
and  has  a  proportional  degree  of  honor  connected 
with  it.  True,  where  it  is  stripped  of  the  support 
of  a  civil  establishment,  it  can  seldom  boast  any 
golden  charms.  A  man  may  often  shave  more 
gold  out  of  a  block  of  timber  than  he  can  from  his 
services  in  the  ministry ;  but  there  are  men  not  a 
few%  whose  ambition  lies  in  another  direction,  and 
who  regard  as  dross  all  money  beyond  the  supply 
of  their  immediate  necessities.  Now,  to  such  men 
of  a  literary  turn  and  of  decent  moral  habits,  the 
pulpit  presents  what  would  be  called  a  fair  object 
of  secular  ambition.  To  appear  once  or  twice  a 
week  in  a  marked  distinction — to  enjoy  preroga- 
tives which  custom  at  least  has  rendered  inviola- 
ble (the  effectual  and  the  only  safeguard  of  many 
a  preacher) — to  exhibit  the  resources  of  intellect 
with  the  attractions  of  taste  a^d  the  corruscations 
of  genius — to  enforce  valuable  moral  truth  by  elo- 


^0  True  Honor, 

quence,  which  shall  be  followed  in  the  pubUc 
assembly  by  silent  admiration,  and  out  of  it  by  ap- 
plause and  celebrity — and  a  respect  and  influence 
unattainable  in  ordinary  stations — what  carnal 
heart  is  proof  against  these  temptations?  It  is 
woful  to  consider  that  the  devil  has,  through  these 
means,  succeeded  in  planting  his  servants  down  in 
stations  which  were  intended  for  Zion's  watchmen. 
Love  to  the  souls  of  men  and  to  the  Saviour  of 
their  souls — a  sense  of  their  dire  responsibihty  for 
the  blood  of  men,  and  an  honest  desire  to  be  faith- 
ful, never  entered  the  minds  of  some  who  have  yet 
rushed  fearlessly  into  the  ministry.  The  calling  is 
reputable ;  they  wish  to  sustain  its  repute  in  the 
eyes  of  the  world ;  they  receive  honor  from  men ; 
it  is  the  ahment  of  their  hope,  and  the  object  of  their 
anxiety.  Faith  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  they 
have  none.  Not  a  thievish  publican  nor  a  stroll- 
ing harlot  who  are  not  nearer  the  kingdom  of  God 
than  they,  and  their  ultimate  reckoning  will  be 
dreadful  beyond  description. 

Besides  the  pulpit,  there  are  other  talents  of 
which  our  Lord  shall  exact  an  account.  It  is 
distressing  to  think  that  for  the  most  part  he  will 
exact  it  of  those  who  never  fairly  brought  them 
into  exercise ;  and  on  the  other  hand,  that  many 
whom  he  never  employed  have  industriously  run 
into  forbidden  paths.  I  know  not  a  more  unchris- 
trian  doctrine,  nor  one  more  pregnant  with  prac- 


True  Honor.  71 

tical  mischiefs,  than  the  doctrine  which  takes  the 
part  of  the  gifted  brethren.  These  brethren,  if 
they  invade  not  your  pulpits,  which,  thanks  to  the 
good  order  established  in  some  churches,  they  can- 
not do,  nevertheless  lay  hold  of  the  public  praying 
societies.  On  all  occasions  they  are  ready — on  all 
occasions  foremost.  They  are  compared  with  the 
ministr}^^  and  sometimes  not  to  the  advantage  of 
the  latter.  In  process  of  time  they  begin  to  try 
their  hand  at  exhortation — next  at  preaching — and 
where,  do  they  say,  is  the  mighty  difference  ?  And 
thus  with  self-complacency  do  they  edge  onwards, 
until  the  ministry  is  surprised  by  the  intrusion  and 
pollution  of  those  whom  God  never  gave  talent, 
nor  man  cultivation.  Mistake  me  not.  I  am  no 
enemy  to  prayer  nor  to  praying  societies.  But  I 
am  an  enemy  to  that  withdrawing  of  men  out  of 
their  proper  place.  I  am  an  enemy  to  whatever 
would  fill  them  with  an  improper  conceit  of  them- 
selves. I  am  an  enemy  to  this  giving  undue  honor 
to  those  to  whom  it  is  not  due,  and  to  converting 
the  worship  of  God  into  a  vehicle  for  the  vanity  of 
man,  and  of  the  smallest  of  men.  There  is  much 
ground  to  fear  that  many  a  man's  condemnation 
will  be  found  on  his  distinction  at  a  praying  so- 
ciety. He  wished  to  be  noticed — he  ivas  noticed. 
To  be  talked  of— he  luas  talked  of.  To  be 
praised — he  ims  praised.  He  sought  honor  of 
men — he  got  it,  and  it  is  all  he  is  likely  to  get. 


i&  True  Honor. 

He  sought  not  the  honor  that  cometh  from  God 
only,  and  will  be  found  at  last  to  have  not  been 
even  a  believer  in  Jesus  Christ. 

I  have  not  time  to  trace  the  different  forms  in 
which,  under  religious  pretences,  7nen  receive  honor 
one  of  another,  to  the  detriment  of  all  sound  prin- 
ciple and  the  destruction  of  their  own  souls.  It 
remains  to  show 

II.  Why  the  prevalence  of  such  a  temper  is 
inconsistent  with  the  faith  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

1.  It  involves  a  principle  essentially  sinful. 

God  alone  is  the  universal  monarch,  the  single 
fountain  of  true  honor,  throughout  the  universe. 
When  we  seek  our  honor  in  any  other  quarter,  to 
the  neglect  of  that  which  cometh  from  him  alone, 
we  enter  into  a  conspiracy  against  his  throne. 
We  exalt  into  his  place,  and  give  the  glory  due  to 
his  name,  to  creatures,  to  men,  and  often  to  bad 
men.  We  love,  we  pursue,  we  worship,  a  phan- 
tom. We  set  up  the  stumbling  block  of  our  ini- 
quity in  our  hearts — commit  that  high  rebellion 
which  he  has  visited  from  age  to  age,  and  now 
visits,  and  will  continue  to  visit  till  the  consumma- 
tion of  all  things,  with  his  sharpest  rebukes,  his 
heaviest  curses.  To  receive  honor  from  one  ano- 
ther, while  we  seek  not  the  honor  that  cometh  from 
God  only,  is  to  cherish  in  our  hearts  the  very  core  of 
corruption,  to  identify  ourselves  in  our  characters 


True  Honor.  '  73 

and  interests  with  the  fallen  spirits,  and  to  expose 
ourselves  infallibly  to  their  fate.  What  can  be 
conceived  more  horrible,  more  utterly  at  variance 
with  the  faith  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  more  de- 
serving of  eternal  damnation,  than  to  declare  prac- 
tically that  we  have  found  a  more  bountiful  bene- 
factor— a  nobler  object  of  our  praise — a  more 
sufficient  portion  for  our  hearts — a  richer  source 
of  good — than  the  living  God.  And  what  do  they 
do  less,  who  seek  thcil*  honor  one  of  another,  in 
preference  to  that  which  cometh  from  God  only  ? 

2.  Receiving  honor  from  men  necessarily  im- 
phes  criminal  conformity  to  the  world  of  sinners. 

That  which  we  most  respect,  admire,  and  love, 
we  are  prone  to  imitate.  It  is  a  law  of  our  being ; 
and  has  its  place,  and  exerts  its  force,  in  the  form-  . 
ation  of  spiritual  as  well  as  other  character.  If 
you  receive  honor  from  the  world,  as  contradistin- 
guished from  the  honor  which  cometh  from  God 
only,  you  must  of  necessity  be  like  the  world  ;  i.  e, 
be  most  unlike  God,  who  calls  his  peojyle  into  the 
fellowship  of  his  son  Jesus  Christ.  The  world  also 
exercises  a  stern,  despotic  power  over  its  votaries. 
You  must  obey  its  maxims;  you  must  adopt  its 
modes ;  you  must  speak  its  language ;  you  must 
cultivate  its  temper ;  you  must  be  the  friend  of  its 
friends,  and  the  enemy  of  its  enemies ;  or  its  honor 
will  be  denied  to  you,  and  you  will  be  excommu- 
nicated from  within  its  pale.     The  world  will  not 


74  True  Honor, 

throw  away  its  honors  upon  those  who  underva- 
lue them :  and  why  should  it  ?  I  do  not  mean 
that  you  must  abjure  a  religious  profession :  pro- 
fess what  you  please,  but  go  no  farther,  or  not  so 
far  as  to  war  with  its  doctrines,  and  renounce  its 
practises.  You  may  have  as  much  of  a  religious 
air,  and  be  as  devout  in  your  religious  observances 
as  you  think  proper,  and  lose  none  of  your  honor 
from  men.  The  world  knows  that  you  may  have 
all  these,  often  more  of  their  appearances,  than 
many  whom  it  cannot  endure ;  and  be  sound  in 
its  interests  all  the  while.  Keep  it  company,  and 
wear  its  image,  and  it  will  never  quarrel  with  you 
for  walking  in  the  hroad  ivay,  with  a  Christian 
mark.  But  the  moment  you  open  your  heart  to 
.one  particle  of  the  love  of  God,  or  faith  in  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  you  are  ruined,  you  are  hated, 
despised,  proscribed.  Now,  how  can  this  friendly 
correspondence  with  the  world,  without  which  it 
is  vain  to  look  for  its  honors,  consist  with  the  con- 
dition and  character  of  a  true  behever  ?  How  can 
it  admit  that  gracious  singularity  which  is  mocked 
on  earth,  but  displays  unutterable  glories  before 
the  angels  of  God  ?  How  does  it  accord  with  be- 
ing jrilgrhns  and  strangers  lolio  seek  ^  better  coun- 
try, that  is,  an  heavenly  ?  How  with  that  state 
of  separation  which  their  God  hath  commanded : 
Come  ye  out  from  among  them,  and  he  ye  separate, 
and  touch  not  the  unclean  thing,  and  I  will  receive 


True  Honor.  75 

you,  and  he  a  father  unto  you,  and  ye  shall  he  my 
sons  and  my  daughters,  saith  the  Lord  Almighty. 
Brethren,  the  thing  is  impossible.  And  so  it  is  de- 
cided, if  any  man  love  the  world,  the  love  of  the 
Father  is  not  in  him.  As  receiving  honor  one 
from  another,  is  by  the  terms  of  the  text,  in  oppo- 
sition to  seeking  that  honor  that  cometh  from  God 
only,  and  as  it  imphes  a  participation  of  all  those 
tempers  and  feelings  which  are  exactly  the  reverse 
of  all  the  teachings  and  influence  of  the  Spirit  of 
God,  it  follows,  that  so  long  as  a  man  continues 
thus  to  receive  honor,  so  long  as  he  lays  such  a 
stress  upon  human  approbation,  it  is  simply  and 
forever  impossible  that  he  should  be  a  behever  in 
Jesus  Christ,  or  have  the  smallest  share  in  his  sal- 
vation, or  one  single  hope  towards  God,  which  will 
not  perish  as  infallibly  as  the  leaf  fades  and  falls 
in  autumn. 

This  receiving  honor  one  of  another,  deceives 
men  by  its  specious  form. 

The  love  of  honor,  is  a  principle  of  our  nature 
as  it  came  from  the  hands  of  its  Divine  Maker. 
He  framed  us  for  glory,  honor,  and  immortality. 
But  its  beauties  are  all  laid  waste,  and  its  direction 
wholly  perverted,  by  that  universal  destroyer.  Sin. 
Yet  the  principle,  though  depraved,  remains,  is 
found  to  operate  most  strongly  in  the  most  ingenu- 
ous spirits,  and  has  actually  gone  so  far  as  avow- 
edly to  dispute  the  empire  with  the  law  of  God. 


76  True  Honor. 

We  hear  it  confidently  stated,  as  if  it  were  a 
moral  axiom,  that  there  are  two  laws  for  society, 
rehgion,  and  the  law  of  honor ;  and  that  when  a 
man  disregards  the  sanctions  of  one,  he  is  amena- 
ble to  the  other.  A  notable  expedient  for  a  sinful 
worm,  to  improve  the  moral  government  of  God 
his  maker !  Besides,  we  are  bound,  even  by  the 
law  of  God,  to  render  honor  where  honor  is  due. 
Great  private  worth,  and  public  services  command-, 
and  should  command,  our  most  respectful  homage. 
But  the  misery  is,  that  this  homage,  and  this 
love  of  honor,  twine  round  about  the  soul,  and 
terminate  without  looking  farther.  It  makes  the 
man  forget  his  immortal  destiny — forget  the  crown 
of  righteousness — forget  the  righteous  Judge,  and 
cleave  to  earth,  and  the  voice  of  earthly  praise,  as 
to  the  perfection  of  his  bliss.  This  principle  is 
most  observable  in  political  and  military  men.  I 
shudder  when  I  think  the  applauses  of  our  coun- 
try are  avowedly  the  motives  and  the  reward  of 
our  most  distinguished  men ;  and  when  I  see  the 
public  press  commending  the  greatness  and  mag- 
nanimity of  the  sentiment,  and  diffusing  the  moral 
pestilence  through  a  thousand  streams  into  the 
very  heart  of  the  comnu^nity — and  that  too,  in 
many  instances,  under  the  control  of  men  called 
Christians — but  who  seem  to  forget  on  these  occa- 
sions, that  God,  or  his  glory,  has  any  claim  on  their 
presses.     O  happy  for  them,  if  God  too  were  to 


True  Honor.  Tj 

forget  all  the  indignities  which  they  have  put  upon 
his  name.  I  have  assigned  a  reason  w^liich  makes 
it  very  hard  for  Christianity  to  thrive  in  a  camp, 
or  in  a  cabinet :  and  it  is  quite  a  rarity,  an  eighth 
wonder  of  the  world,  to  find  a  godly  soldier  or 
statesman.  How  melancholy  the  reflection,  that 
from  the  field  of  honor,  in  the  very  centre  of  their 
glories,  our  bravest  men  are  often  summoned  in  an 
instant  to  their  eternal  reckoning,  without  having 
perhaps,  had  in  their  lives  one  serious  thought  of 
the  God  with  whom  they  have  to  do !  Alas  ! 
what  will  the  honor  derived  from  men  avail  them 
at  his  bar  !  My  heart  sickens  at  the  thought ;  and 
finds  no  rehef  but  from  the  assurance  that  they  are 
in  the  hands  of  one  who  will  do  them  no  injustice. 
4.  Finally,  the  sin  of  which  I  speak,  making  the 
honor  that  cometh  from  men,  to  compensate  and 
supersede  that  which  cometh  from  God  only,  can- 
not be  excused  as  a  sin  of  infirmity.  The  strength 
of  physical  passions,  the  suddenness  and  violence 
of  temptation,  have  here  no  place.  It  is  a  sin  of 
calculation.  The  whole  soul  enters  into  it ;  habits 
are  formed  by  it ;  and  habits  do  not  spring  up  hke 
mushrooms,  they  grow  by  slow  degrees.  The  last, 
though  at  all  times  a  feeble  apology  for  crime,  sur- 
prises, the  being  taken  unawares,  is  swept  away. 
It  is  a  deliberate,  systematic  rebellion  against  God. 
It  is  the  indulgence  of  wilful  transgression,  which 
is  utterly  inconsistent  with  every  gracious  princi- 


78.  True  Honor. 

pie,  and  where  it  reigns,  marks,  without  a  perad- 
venture,  an  unbehever  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

And  now,  my  friends,  if  these  things  are  true, 
and  that  they  are  is  just  as  certain  as  that  God  hath 
spoken  to  us,  how  wide  a  scope  and  how  terrible  a 
necessity  do  they  create  for  the  examination  of  our 
own  hearts !  Who  does  not,  in  some  shape  or 
other,  fall  under  the  accusation  of  the  text  ?  Be 
persuaded  to  make  diligent  search  :  for  while  it 
stands  against  a  single  individual,  it  infallibly  shuts 
him  out  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  Should  an  angel 
be  commissioned  by  revelation  to  go  among  the 
hearers  of  the  gospel — the  professors  of  the  religion 
of  Jesus  Christ — and  put  his  mark  upon  the  fore- 
head of  all  who  are  under  the  ban  of  the  text, 
whose  forehead  would  be  without  a  stigma  ? 
Would  it  be  thine  \  Why,  then,  does  thy  bosom 
heave  and  thy  heart  palpitate  ?  Why  wilt  thou 
not  learn  betimes  to  seek  the  honor  that  cometh 
from  God  only  I  How  long  shall  the  opinion  of 
men  usurp  its  place  ?  How  long  will  ye  seek  in 
political  or  fashionable  life  that  applause  which  the 
Lord  abhors,  and  may,  and  without  his  great  pre- 
vention will,  draw  after  it  your  eternal  destruction  ? 
Where  is  the  man  who  has  made  ,even  honorable 
politics  his  pursuit  whose  religious  sensibilities 
were  not  blunted,  and  his  conscience  of  rectitude 
warped  ?  Who  has  carried  into  the  vortex  of  the 
political  whirlpool  a  mind    uncontaminated  with 


True  Honor.  79 

the  corruption  that  is  in  the  world,  and  brought  it 
out  again  equally  pure  ? 

Among  all  the  votaries  of  fashion  in  whom  the 
rehgious  sense  is  not  wholly  obliterated,  who  has 
attempted  to  conciliate  the  service  of  God  with 
the  honor  that  cometh  one  from  another  and  suc- 
ceeded ?  Whose  garments  have  not  smelt,  whose 
visages  have  not  been  blackened,  by  the  infernal 
fire  which  they  have  been  compelled  to  approach? 
Who  has  not  learned  some  maxims,  or  indulged 
some  practice,  which  has  put  a  wider  separation 
between  God  and  them,  and  prepared  them  for  a 
deeper  plunge  into  transgression  when  the  next 
opportunity  should  oifer?  Shall  I  propose  the 
question  ?  Are  there  any  whose  lips  have  received 
the  hallowed  symbols  of  the  body  and  blood  of 
Jesus  the  Saviour,  and  whose  feet,  ere  the  taste  of 
that  holy  pledge  had  died  away,  have  gone  greedily 
into  the  same  excess  of  riot  with  those  who  walk 
in  the  vanity  of  their  minds  ?  In  a  word,  are  there 
none  whose  consciences  whisper  to  them  that  the 
inspiring  motive  to  all  their  religious  appearance 
and  profession  has  been  the  applauses  of  their 
fellow-men?  What  shall  I  say  to  them  all? 
Awake !  arise !  flee !  flee  for  your  lives  from  this 
treacherous  ground  that  stretches  over  the  edge  of 
the  bottomless  pit !  Soon  may  the  voice  of  that 
thunder  be  heard  which  shall  shake  it  into  frag- 
ments beneath  your  feet,  and  you  are  in-evocably 


80  True  Honor. 

ingulfed.  Even  now  the  cry  of  despair  from  some 
who  were  gay  and  careless  as  any  of  you  can  be, 
rings  in  my  ear.  They  were  taken  unprepared 
and  hurried  away  with  all  their  reasonings,  their 
decencies,  their  mistaken  religion,  and  have  found 
their  error  when  the  hope  of  redemption  was  past ! 
See  that  this  be  not  your  case.  See  to  it  soon ;  see 
to  it  immediately.  To-day  is  the  accepted  time ; 
to-day  is  the  day  of  salvation.  Be  not  deceived. 
Yet  a  little  while,  and  the  Lord  Jesus  shall  he  re- 
vealed from  heaven  injlamingfire,  taking  vengeance 
of  those  who  know  not  God  and  obey  not  the  gospel. 
The  Lord  grant  that  you  may  be  able  to  stand  be- 
fore him  in  that  final  and  fiery  visitation ! 


APOSTOLIC   COMMISSION 


VOL.  IV.       6 


SERMON    VI  T. 


APOSTOLIC    COMMISSION. 

LUKE   XXIV.  47. 

And  that  repentance  and  reinission  of  sins  should 
he  preached  in  his  name  among  all  nations,  he- 
ginning  at  Jerusalem. 

The  work  which  the  Father  had  given  the 
Lord  Jesus  to  do  was  now  finished.  He  had  gone 
through  the  several  stages  of  his  huinihation,  and 
had  ceased  to  be  the  man  of  sorrows  and  acquainted 
with  grief  He  had  magnified  the  law  and  made 
it  honorable,  and  brought  in  everlasting  righteous- 
ness, even  the  righteousness  of  God,  for  the  justi- 
fication of  men.  He  had  put  away  sin  by  the 
sacrifice  of  himself,  pouring  out  the  blood  of  his 


84  Apostolic  Commission. 

cross  as  a  ransom  for  their  souls.  He  had  passed 
through  the  gates  of  death ;  had  remamed  m  his 
territories  long  enough  to  prove  the  fact  of  his 
having  died,  and  to  work  the  overthrow  of  his 
kingdom-;  had  risen  in  his  majesty,  and  repassed 
as  a  conqueror  those  barriers  through  which  he 
was  led  as  a  prisoner;  had  frustrated,  defeated, 
and  made  an  open  show  of  the  hosts  of  hell,  and 
was  just  about  ascending  in  the  glory  of  the  Cap- 
tain of  salvation  up  to  his  native  heavens,  there  to 
appear  in  the  presence  of  God  for  us  !  How  awful 
the  pause !  how  tender  yet  terrifying  the  crisis ! 
Methinks  the  cry  is  heard  to  the  farthest  verge  of 
Creation,  Now  is  come  salvation,  and  strength, 
and  the  kingdom  of  our  God,  and  the  power  of  his 
Christ.  The  partition- wall  is  tottering  to  its 
base,  and  presently  will  be  heard  the  crash  of 
its  fall.  The  gates  of  heavenly  light  are  to  be 
unbarred  to  the  world,  and  floods  of  living  water 
from  the  rock  of  Zion,  are  to  cool  and  refresh 
and  invigorate  the  nations.  The  tabernacle  of 
God  is  to  dwell  with  men;  they  are  to  become  his 
people ;  he  is  to  be  their  God ;  he  is  to  dwell 
among  them,  to  walk  in  the  midst  of  them,  to  cast 
out  the  prince  of  this  world,  and  to  bring  back  the 
days  of  primeval  glory  and  blessedness.  What ! 
is  all  this  to  be  effected  in  our  world  ?  Yes !  in 
our  world !  Why,  it  is  full  of  crimes  and  curses  ; 
it  is  overrun  with  the  enemies  of  God.     Devils 


Apostolic  Commission.  85 

and  devilish  men  have  the  rule  here.  The  soil  is 
yet  reeking  with  the  blood  of  the  Prince  of  life. 
Not  a  bosom  heaves  nor  a  tear  starts  under  the 
guilt  of  this  "  deep  damnation."  How  then  shall 
this  marvelous  revolution  be  accomplished  \  Gather 
together  the  wise  men,  the  philosophers  ;  ask  them 
whether  the  scheme  is  practicable,  whether  these 
fairy  visions  can  be  reahzed.  The  wise  men !  the 
philosophers  !  They  are  deep  in  the  great  apos- 
tasy ;  they  are  themselves  ringleaders  in  treason, 
leaders  of  the  bands  of  rebels :  they  are  as  igno- 
rant as  they  are  criminal.  Away  with  their  fool- 
eries !  Let  me  hear  the  Son  of  God  breathe  this 
portentous  silence,  Not  by  might,  nor  by  poiuer, 
but  by  my  Spirit,  saitJi  the  hord.  He  v/lio  con- 
trols the  spirits  of  all  flesh  issues  forth  the  command 
in  its  simple  majesty,  that  repentance  and  remission 
of  sins  should  be  preached  in  his  name  among  all 
nations,  beginning  at  Jerusalem.  Observe,  my 
Christian  friends,  the  grandeur  of  this  conunission. 
The  Lord  Jesus  speaks  hke  one  who  had  the 
"  spirits  of  all  flesh"  under  his  control.  The  mag- 
nitude of  the  object,  the  difficulty  of  the  enterprise, 
the  feebleness  of  the  means,  are  not  so  much  as 
mentioned.  Let  there  be  light,  was  not  uttered 
with  more  decision  at  the  first  creation,  than  is 
this  charge  to  his  apostles  at  the  second.  The 
speaker  and  the  energy  were  the  same.  It  was 
all  worthy  of  God  manifest  in  the   flesh,  and   so 


86  Apostolic  Commission. 

surely  as  his  lips  have  pronounced  the  words  the 
effect  must  follow.  The  disciples  felt  their  power. 
Eleven  men,  without  arms  or  armies,  influence, 
connections,  wealth,  or  literature,  are  sent  to  sub- 
due the  nations.  Not  a  remonstrance,  a  scruple 
or  a  doubt,  is  heard  from  their  lips.  /  am  ivlth  you 
ahi'ays,  I  will  give  you  a  mouth  and  ivisdoni  tvhich 
all  your  adversaries  shall  not  he  able  to  gainsay  or 
resist,  hushed  every  fear,  resolved  every  difficulty, 
filled  them  with  courage,  crowned  them  with 
success. 

The  text  embraces  three  topics  of  most  inter- 
esting inquiry;  the  extent  of  the  apostolic  commis- 
sion, the  substance  of  their  message,  and  a  singular 
circumstance  connected  with  the  commencement 
of  their  labors.  They  were  charged  with  an  em- 
bassy to  all  nations.  They  were  to  preach  repent- 
ance and  remission  of  sins  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  ?in^ 
they  were  to  begin  at  Jerusalem.'^ 

I.  The  substance  of  their  commission :  "  To 
preach  repentance  and  remission  of  sins  in  the 
name  of  Jesus." 

Repentance  is  a  term  of  great  latitude.  It  pri- 
marily signifies,  a  change  of  mind:  and  this  gen- 
eral idea  adheres  to  every  form  of  its  application. 
When  the  Jew  was  commanded  to  repent,  his 
whole  notions  concerning  the  person  and  salvation 

*  The  third  topic  was  reserved  for  a  second  sermon,  which  waa 
never  written. — Ed. 


Apostolic  Commission.  87 

of  the  Messiah  were  to  undergo  a  revolution,  Re- 
pent  ye,  for  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  is  at  hand. 
All  his  preconceived  opinions  of  the  Christ  as  a 
temporal  deliverer,  a  magnificent  conqueror,  by 
whom  his  nation  was  to  be  rescued  from  the  domi- 
nation of  the  Romans,  and  placed  at  the  head  of 
the  whole  earth,  were  to  be  abandoned. 

When  the  Gentile  was  commanded  to  repent,  all 
his  ideas  concerning  the  religion  of  his  country, 
of  his  ancestors,  were  to  be  inverted  :  Surely  our 
fathers  have  inherited  lies,  vanities,  and  things 
wherein  there  is  no  profit.  Both  Jew  and  Gentile 
were  enjoined  to  alter  entirely  the  nature  of  their 
conceptions  of  truth  and   happiness. 

What  sort  of  an  enterprise  was  this  ?  Judge 
ye  who  know  how  difficult  it  is  to  root  out  an  an- 
cient prejudice  from  the  mind  of  man.  Who  can 
estimate  the  sacrifice  which  it  costs  his  vanity  ? 
how  little,  how  feeble,  how  paltry  the  success  of 
similar  attempts,  upon  ariy  thing  consecrated  by 
established  modes  of  thinking  and  feeling.  Partic- 
ularly, how  hopeless  must  the  experiment  be,  when 
it  is  directed  against  men's  ideas  of  national  supe- 
riority. Their  climate  and  their  country  the  finest 
in  the  world !  their  persons  the  handsomest,  the 
bravest,  the  most  skilful !  their  rehgion  the  best, 
the  most  divine  !  all  their  institutions  of  the  highest  * 
order  !  For  example  :  we  are  accustomed  to  ap- 
plaud ourselves  as  "  the  most  enlightened  people  in 


88  Apostolic  Commission. 

the  universe ;"  and  our  institutions,  both  civil  and 
poUtical,  as  excelUng  all  others;  as  perfect,  althougjh 
we  are  every  now  and  then  in  the  habit  of  mend- 
ing, or  trying  to  mend  them.  Should  any  one  now 
attempt  to  reason  us  out  of  our  prepossessions,  to 
persuade  us  that  the  objects  of  our  admiration  are 
in  reality  detestable,  and  that  we  never  shall  knoAv 
what  decency,  and  dignity,  and  pre-eminence 
mean,  until  we  throw  them  all  away,  trample  them 
under  foot,  and  open  our  ears  to  a  new  set  of  in- 
instructions,  and  our  hearts  to  a  new  set  of  percep- 
tions altogether.  What  reception,  suppose  ye, 
would  this  apostle  of  revolution  meet  ?  How  many 
would  he  persuade  ?  What  other  effect  could  he 
hope  to  produce,  than  to  arm  the  community 
against  him,  as  an  insane  man  ? 

Now,  then,  judge  from  your  own  sensations 
what  the  ambassador  of  the  cross  had  to  hope, 
when  attacking  opinions  and  prejudices  infinitely 
stronger  than  those  of  civil  policy,  or  political  pre- 
dilections, he  preached  to  men  the  necessity  of 
changing,  radically,  their  whole  convictions  of 
truth  and  happiness? 

Nor  is  the  necessity  for  such  a  change  less  at 
this  moment,  nor  will  it  be  less  while  the  world 
endures,  than  it  was  at  the  first  promulgation  of 
the  gospel.  Be  not  startled  at  this  assertion  ! 
Say  not,  "  The  Jews  had  misunderstood  and  per- 
verted the  scriptures  of  their  own  prophets ;  they 


-* 


Apostolic  Commission.  89 

were  dreaming  about  a  Messiah,  such  as  their  vair 
imaginations  had  formed  him  ;   and  to  reap  any 
benefit  from  him,  they  must  be  recalled  to  a  sound 
mind."     The  Gentiles,  again,  had  lost  altogether 
the  knowledge  of  the  true  God.      They  had  run 
into  all  excess  oF  riot  in  their  madness  upon  their 
idols,  and  must  be  reclaimed  from  these  vanities  to 
the  living  and  true  God.     To  both  Jew  and  Gen- 
tile, therefore,  the  doctrine  and  the  duty  of  repent- 
ance was  strictly  applicable  ;  and  so  it  is  to  these 
unhappy  men,  who  in  the  darkness  of  paganism, 
are  without  God.     But  to  us,  to  Christians,  who 
have   imbibed   from   our  infancy  those  important 
truths  which  were  new  both  to  Jews  and  Gentiles, 
the    doctrine    of    this    repentance    is    superfluous. 
Stay  a  little,  and  consider.      The  effect  of  Jewish 
carnality,  and  pagan  idolatry,  was  to  separate  be- 
tween them  and  their  God  ;  to  make  them  forget 
the  end  of  their  being ;  to  drench  them  in  sense ; 
to  chain  them  to  this  world ;  and,  finally,  to  drown 
them  in  destruction  and  perdition.      Are  we,  with 
all  our  superior  light,  with  all  our  commiseration 
for  Jewish  blindness  and  heathen  degradation,  in 
no  danger  of  the  same  sin,  and  of  the  same  ruin  \ 
Are  none  of  our  affections  estranged  from  God, 
the  sovereign  good,  and  set  on  lying  vanities  which 
cannot  profit  ?     Are  not  the  minds  of  many  called 
Christians,  as  far  from  just  ideas  concerning  the 
spiritual  character  and  work  of  our  Lord  Jesus 


90  Apostolic  Commission. 

Christ,  as  the  grossest  and  most  obstinate  Jews  ? 
and  their  hearts  as  full  of  abominable  idolatries,  as 
the  most  debased  and  polluted  pagan  ?  Deceive 
not  your  own  selves.  The  Most  High,  regards 
not  the  form,  where  he  sees  the  substance  of  idol- 
atry. You  may  look  with  contempt  and  abhor- 
rence upon  a  wooden  or  golden  god  in  the  shape 
of  a  man,  or  -d  four-footed  heast,  or  a  creeping  thing. 
Is  it  any  thing  better,  suppose  ye,  when  it  has  the 
devotion  of  all  your  faculties,  the  ardor  of  your 
whole  hearts,  your  undivided  love  and  worship,  in 
the  shape  of  a  dollar,  or  a  guinea,  or  a  bank  note  ? 
When  the  all-seeing  glance  of  God,  your  Maker, 
strikes  through  the  bosoms  of  this  assembly,  does 
he  perceive  there  no  perverted  principles,  no  unhal- 
lowed emotion,  no  lust  of  the  flesh,  nor  lust  of  the 
eye,  nor  pride  of  life  I  Cannot  he  single  out  any 
who  place  their  happiness  in  these  things  as  if  they 
were  the  chief  good  ?  Stand  forth,  ye  idolaters, 
ye  evangelized,  and  therefore  most  criminal  idola- 
ters, and  hear  his  voice,  fresh  from  the  heavens,  to 
you.  Repent,  or  perish.  Change  all  your  principles 
and  judgments,  or  not  a  man  of  you  shall  sec  the 
kingdom  of  God.  You  may  stand  high  in  the  re- 
spect of  the  world,  but  know  ye  not  that  the  friend- 
ship of  this  world  is  enmity  with  God.  If  any 
man,  therefore,  will  be  the  friend  of  the  world,  he 
must  be  the  enemy  of  God.    And  what  will  ye  do, 


Apostolic  Commission.  91 

when  he  shall  meet  you  as  a  bear  robbed  of  her 
whelps  \ 

But  the  repentance  which  my  text  enjoins,  and 
the  apostles  preach,  is  not  merely  such  an  altera- 
tion in  men's  views  as  amounts  to  a  rational  and 
speculative  conviction  of  truth,  of  duty,  and  of  hap- 
piness. Without  this  they  shall  in  vain  hope  to 
enter  the  kingdom  of  God,  But  this  alone  will 
not  insure  their  admittance.  You  may  be,  in  these 
matters,  as  orthodox  as  the  devil,  and  as  far  from 
heaven. 

The  repentance  which  is  expected  from  us  goes 
much  deeper,  and  makes  more  thorough  work.  It 
teaches  us  to  view  our  errors,  not  merely  as  mis- 
takes, but  as  sin ;  as  having  led  us  just  as  far  to- 
wards ruin  as  we  wandered  from  God.  It  sinks 
into  the  heart,  turns  it  inside  out,  shows  the  evils 
which  lurk  there,  reaches  the  very  source  of  all  our 
iniquities,  the  corruption  of  our  nature ;  makes  us 
sensible  that  we  are  unlike  the  holy  God,  unmeet 
for  his  fellowship,  at  enmity  with  him,  exposed  to 
the  perdition  of  his  frown.  If  left  to  its  own  ope- 
ration it  would  be  the  sorrow  of  the  world,  which 
works  melancholy,  despair,  death.  But  it  is  di- 
rected by  a  kindlier  and  hoher  influence.  It 
creates, 

1.  Godly  sorrow  for  sin :  as  against  all  that  is 
good,  and  pure,  and  kind,  in  the  Infinite  One; 
against  all  his  authority^  all  his  patience,  all  his 


92  Apostolic  Commission. 

grace.  That  our  hearts  should  be  a  fountain, 
and  our  lives  a  channel,  of  such  floods  of  ingrati- 
tude, filth,  rebellion,  till  us  with  dismay,  and  the 
most  unfeigned  compunction. 

2.  It  fills  with  hatred  of  our  sins.  Hatred,  as 
those  things  which  have  dishonored  the  majesty  in 
the  heavens,  and  have  rendered  us  accomplices  in 
treason,  with  the  spirits  of  the  pit — hatred  as  at 
those  things  which  have  abused  the  divine  mercies, 
despised  the  divine  judgments,  caused  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  to  shed  his  most  precious  blood — ha- 
tred, as  being  emphatically  the  destroyers  of  soul, 
of  body,  of  hope:  which  made  -the  devil,  which 
kindled  hell,  and  will  consign  to  its  untold  wo  all 
over  whom  they  reign. 

3.  This  repentance  leads  to  a  confession  of  sin ; 
deep,  humble,  unaffected.  No  apologies,  no  exten- 
uations. Behold,  I  am  vile;  lohat  shall  I  answer 
thee ;  if  thou  Lord  should  mark  iniquities,  O  Lord, 
who  shall  stand — God  he  merciful  to  me  a  sinner,  is 
the  language  of  a  broken,  a  contrite,  a  repenting 
heart. 

4.  This  repentance  involves  a  forsaking  of  sin 
and  return  to  God.  It  is  he  who  forsakes,  not  who 
conceals  his  sin,  that  shall  find  m«rcy.  The  true 
penitent  forsakes  his  sin  wholly  and  universally. 
He  makes  no  reserve  for  a  favorite  lust.  Compro- 
mise is  out  of  the  question.  Is  it  not  a  little  one  ? 
will  never  be  heard  from  his  lips.     Whatever  he 


Ajjostolic  Co7nmission.  93 

discovers  to  be  provoking  to  the  eyes  of  the  Lord's 
glory  will  be  renounced.  If  it  be  a  right  arm,  a 
right  eye,  dear  as  one's  own  soul,  it  must  be  cast 
away ;  it  must  be  nailed  to  the  cross,  and  there  left 
to  die  as  our  Lord  died,  a  lingering,  painful,  shame- 
ful, accursed  death. 

Finally.  It  is  a  divorce,  not  a  temporary  sepa- 
ration, that  he  seeks.  Whatever  constituted  sin's 
claim  to  dwell  with  him,  or  rule  over  him,  that 
must  be  extinguished.  Never  more  shall  his  former 
lusts  in  his  ignorance  find  a  welcome  in  his  bosom. 
It  is  henceforth  consecrated  as  a  temple  of  God, 
and  contains  no  room,  no  not  so  much  as  a  corner, 
for  allowed  retreat  to  his  enemy.  The  expelled 
devil  returns  not  to  his  house  with  seven  spirits 
more  wicked  than  himself.  The  voice  of  the  Son 
of  God,  /  charge  thee  come  out  of  the  man  and  en- 
ter no  more  into  him,  is  peremptory,  and  Satan 
must  obey. 

What  a  marvellous  revolution  is  here  !  The 
man's  views,  principles,  habits,  changed  !  Views, 
principles,  habits,  which  had  grown  with  his  growth 
and  strengthened  with  his  strength  ! — to  which  he 
was  strongly  attached  as  his  nature  would  permit ! 
in  accordance  with  which  he  not  Ions:  ago  sought 
his  happiness !  which  he  judged  to  be  as  firm  as 
truth  itself!  All  changed!  Radically  changed! 
Changed  so  as  to  hate  what  he  loved  and  to  love 
what  he  hated!     By  what  process  of  reason  was 


94  Apostolic  Co7nmission. 

it  effected  ?  What  motives  enforced,  what  effi- 
ciency ensured  it  ? 

Marvel  not,  my  brethren  !  The  secret  is  very 
simple,  but  its  energy  is  all  "divine.  The  text  con- 
tains it.  The  apostles  succeeded  ;  the  gospel  now 
so  succeeds,  by  coupling  with  the  iloctrine  of  re- 
pentance that  of  the  "  remission  of  sin." 

That  men  are  sinners  conscience  dictates,  but 
her  dictates  are  dark,  ill-boding,  full  of  fears  and 
undefined  terrors.  Hence  all  her  suggestions  are 
melancholy,  sour,  sullen,  very  apt  to  breed  super- 
stition, but  of  cheerful  religion  absolutely  barren. 
Of  forgiveness  she  knows  nothing.  This  is  the 
blessed  discovery  of  the  gospel ;  and  plain  as  it  ap- 
pears to  us,  because  the  gospel  hath  put  it  in  me- 
ridian light  and  glory,  it  would  have  confounded 
the  angels  of  heaven  to  all  eternity  had  they  been 
asked  whether  there  is  forgiveness  with  God.  It 
is  one  of  his  deep  things  which  he  hath  revealed 
unto  us  by  his  Spirit.  All  we  know  or  can  know 
of  it  is  from  this  revelation.  Let  us  then  inquire 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  himself  what  is  that  for- 
giveness which  he  bestows  and  which  he  com- 
manded his  apostles  to  preach. 

1.  It  is  forgiveness  or  remission  of  sin,  in  which 
term  we  comprehend  every  offence  of  which  God 
is  the  object.  Now  of  this  he  alone  is  the  proper 
judge.  Its  thanklessness,  its  malignity,  the  height, 
and  length,  and  breadth,  and  depth  of  its  evil,  the 


Apostolic  Commission.  95 

Infinite  Mind  only  can  measure.  A  creature  can  see 
and  feel  it  chiefly  in  the  penalty  which  God  has 
annexed  to  it ;  and  therefore  a  part  only,  and  but  a 
small  part,  can  come  at  once  under  his  observation. 
To  the  Eternal  Mind,  its  hideousness  and  its  hor- 
rors, from  its  first  introduction  through  everlasting 
ages,  are  all  minutely  and  exactly  present.  Now 
that  he  should  be  the  only  being  in  his  own  uni- 
verse who  should  have  thoughts  of  pardon  !  How 
good,  how  kind,  how  gracious !  What  an  emphasis 
does  it  impart  to  his  name !  The  Lord,  the  Lord 
God,  merciful  and  gracious,  long- suffering,  slow  to 
anger,  forgiving  iniquity  and  transgression  and 
sin.  Verily,  it  sprang  up  in  the  bosom  of  his  own 
love.  Heaven  would  not  have  had  the  compas- 
sion, nor  hell  the  impudence,  to  sue  for  our  pardon. 
God  alone  shall  be  exalted  in  this  matter ;  God 
alone  is  the  for  giver.  Let  his  great  name  have  all 
the  glory ! 

2.  That  remission  of  sin  which  the  gospel  pro- 
claims is  most  free  ;  it  is  forgiveness  according  to 
the  riches  of  his  grace.  There  is  indeed  some- 
thing gratuitous  in  the  very  idea  of  forgiveness. 
It  supposes  \n  the  forgiver  the  right  of  exacting  his 
due,  and  of  his  waiving  that  right  with  respect  to 
the  person  of  the  offender.  Of  course  he  must 
receive  it  as  a  free,  unconditional  gift.  How  could 
it  come  to  us  in  any  other  way  ?  Who  among 
the  sous  of  men,  that  rightly  considers  the  case,  can 


96  Apostolic  Commission. 

have  the  hardihood  to  talk  or  think  of  compounding 
with  his  God?  Whose  mind  is  so  profane  as  to 
insuh  him  with  the  offer  of  his  best  deeds  as  a  price 
for  his  favor  \  You  might  as  well  imagine  that 
the  gift  of  God  can  be  purchased  with  money. 
Your  good  deeds,  your  virtues,  your  penitence  ! 
How  much  will  they  cover  of  the  ground  of  your 
transgressions?  Large  and  respectable  as  they 
may  appear  in  your  partial  eye,  what  figure  shall 
tliey  make  before  him  whose  eyes  are  as  a  jiame  of 
fire  ?  What  but  extort  from  your  astonished  lips 
that  exceeding  great  and  bitter  cry,  We  are  all  as 
an  wnclean  thing,  and  our  very  righteousness  are 
as  filthy  rags.  Yet  here  is  the  main  difficulty  with 
an  awakened  conscience ;  first,  to  persuade  of  the 
fact  that  there  is  forgiveness  with  God ;  next,  to 
persuade  it,  his  forgiveness  is  absolutely  free.  No 
point  do  the  scriptures  labor  more — none  do  they 
set  in  a  greater  variety  of  hghts — none  exhibit  in 
more  various  attitudes.  They  display — O  let  me 
speak  of  it  with  all  reverence,  for  I  have  no  other 
word  I — they  display  the  anxiety  of  the  Holy  One 
for  what  ?  Why,  that  sinful  man  may  believe  that 
he  is  merciful,  and  that  his  mercy  is  infinitely 
free  !  Tiwn  ye,  turn  ye,  ivhy  ivill  ye  die,  O  house 
of  Israel?  Turn,  and  I  will  not  cause  mine  anger 
to  fall  upon  you,  for  I  am  gracious!  Ho!  every 
07ie  that  thirsteth,  come  to  the  waters!  Come 
poor,  come  wretched ;  come   with  nothing  to  re- 


Ajyostolic  Commission.  97 

commend,  with  everything  to  disqnalify  you ;  only 
come,  and  take  the  water  of  \\{^  freely. 

3.  The  remission  of  sin  is  full.  The  covering 
is  sufficient  to  wrap  yourselves  in,  the  bed  is  long 
enough  for  you  to  repose  yourselves  upon.  He 
takes  praise  to  himself  that  when  he  forgives,  it  is 
of  all  tresjmsses,  and  your  gladdened  hearts  should 
re-echo  the  praise,  Bless  the  Lord,  O  my  soul! 
and  all  that  is  ivithin  vie  bless  his  holy  name ;  who 
forgiveth  all  thine  iniquities  !  God  is  as  really  God 
in  his  forgiveness  as  in  his  vengeance.  He  will 
no  more  be  compared  with  the  children  of  men, 
with  the  sons  of  the  mighty,  in  his  grace,  than  in 
his  severity.  So  indeed  it  must  be  if  ever  you 
enjoy  the  comfort  of  pardoned  sin;  for  if  the  divine 
forgiveness  do  not  completely  cover  the  whole 
ground  of  our  transgressions — if  it  leave  but  one 
sin,  original  or  actual,  out  of  its  provision — we 
have  that  one  sin  to  answer  for,  and  so  no  flesh 
should  be  saved.  This  one  sin  would  be  our  un- 
sheltered, our  vulnerable  point,  in  which  guilt 
would  thrust  in  his  mortal  dart.  Oh  !  it  is  our 
strong  consolation,  that  when  God  forgives  he  for- 
gives like  God.  When  he  pardons  he  will  abun- 
dantly pardon.  Go  with  your  half-forgiveness, 
Hmited,  conditional  pardons,  with  reserves  and 
limitations,  unto  the  souls  of  men.  It  may  be,  it 
may  become  them — it  is  hke  themselves.     That 

VOL.  IV.       7 


98  Ajyostolic  Coinmission. 

of  God  is  absolute  and  perfect,  before  which  our 
sins  are  as  a  cloud  before  the  east  wind  and  the 
rising  sun.  Hence  he  is  said  to  do  this  work  with 
his  whole  heart  and  his  whole  soul— -  x"?'?'^''^'", 
freely,  bountifully,  largely,  to  indulge  and  forgive 
unto  us  our  sins,  and  to  cast  them  into  the  bottom 
of  the  sea,  (Mic.  vii.  19,)  into  the  bottomless  ocean, 
an  emblem  of  infinite  mercy.  Remember  this, 
poor  souls,  when  you  are  to  deal  with  God  in  this 
matter.* 

4.  The  forgiveness  of  sins  is  final.  In  the  jus- 
tification of  a  sinner,  God,  the  gracious  one,  par- 
dons once  for  all — pardons  forever  !  Pardon  would 
be  of  no  use  to  us,  were  it  not  irreversible :  it 
would  no  sooner  be  gained,  than  lost.  The  Lord 
doth  not  so  deal  with  his  pardoned  ones ;  give 
them  just  to  taste  the  sweetness  of  his  mercy,  that 
their  own  sinfulness  may  the  next  moment  fill  their 
mouths  with  the  bitterness,  and  their  hearts  with 
the  horrors  of  the  curse.  His  bounty  is  of  another 
order  altogether.  His  gifts  and  his  calling  are 
without  repentance,  i.  e.  unchangeable.  His  love 
is  everlasting,  and  so  is  the  life  which  he  bestows 
upon  them.  They  arc  united  with  his  dear  Son ; 
their  lives  entwine  with  his  life.  W4iatever  reaches 
them  to  destroy  them,  must  first  kill  their  Re- 
deemer.    Because  I  live,  is  his  gracious  promise, 

*  Owen's  130  Psidm,  p.  240,  oct.  Glasgow. 


Apostolic   Co77iinission.  99 

ye  shall  live  also.  They  are  kept  by  the  power 
of  God,  through  faith  unto  sahatioii ;  therefore 
they  shall  never  perish.  There  is,  there  can  be, 
no  conclernnation  for  them — they  shall  have  ever- 
lasting hfe. 


NON-CONFORMITY  TO  THE  WORLD, 


SERMON    VIII. 


NON-CONFORMITY    TO  THE  WORLD. 

ROMANS  XII.  2. 

Be  not  conformed  to  this  world ;  but  be  ye  trans- 
formed by  the  ?-eneiving  of  your  mind,  that  ye 
may  prove  what  is  that  good,  and  acceptable,  and 
perfect  will  of  God. 

Many  of  my  hearers  will  take  instant  alarm  from 
the  uncourtly  and  unfashionable  language  of  the 
text.  They  will  assume,  as  granted,  that  they  are 
to  be  lectured  away  from  society,  shut  out  from  all 
the  innocent  and  joyous  freedoms  of  life,  and  per- 
suaded to  spend  their  days  in  the  recesses  of  a 
nunnery,  or  the  cells  of  a  cloister.  But  softly : 
there  are  no  nunneries  nor  cloisters  in  the  Bible ; 


104  Non- Conformity  to  the  World. 

there  are  scarcely  any  in  our  country,  and  if  there 
were  ever  so  many,  it  would  be  rather  hopeless  to 
try  the  experiment  of  making  converts  of  either 
sex  from  among  this  audience.  Take  heed,  how- 
ever, that  your  prejudices  do  not  assail  the  word 
of  your  God ;  that  you  stop  not  your  ears,  and 
steel  not  your  hearts  against  his  counsels.  You 
are  here  in  his  presence,  and  it  may  cost  you  your 
souls  if  you  turn  away  from  his  admonition.  It 
cannot  indeed  be  denied,  that  his  commandment 
and  the  principles  of  his  children  are  infinitely  at 
variance  with  a  multitude  of  things  which  the 
world  calls  harmless ;  nor  that  it  may  appear  to  be 
your  duty,  your  bounden,  your  imperative  duty,  to 
make  a  secession,  even  from  the  innocencies  of  the 
world,  to  take  a  firm  stand,  and  to  make  a  full 
stop,  in  a  career  plausible,  popular,  reputable,  for 
which  many  ingenious  things  may  be  pleaded,  but 
which  are  not  fit  for  a  Christian  who  is  not  of  the 
world,  but  whom  Christ  hath  called  out  of  the  world; 
let  it  be  sulky,  or  cold,  or  abusive,  as  it  pleases,  and 
that  without  infringing  at  all  upon  your  active  du- 
ties, or  upon  your  allowed,  which  are  your  great- 
est social  comforts.  Your  souls  are  too  precious 
to  compliment  away  to  your  giddy  neighbors,  and 
eternal  hfe  too  infinitely  valuable  to  be  put  in  jeop- 
ardy by  your  desire  to  please  them.  Then  let  us 
see  what  the  apostle  means  by  being  not  conformed 
to  this  world — what  is  that  transformation  by  the 


Non- Conformity  to  the  World.  105 

renewing  of  our  mind,  so  zealously  pressed  upon 
us ;  and  what  is  the  connection  under  which  he 
has  placed  it — that  ye  may  know  what  is  that 
good,  and  acceptihle,  and  perfect  will  of  God. 

I.  Let  us  look  at  the  nature  of  that  non-con- 
formity to  this  world,  which  the  text  enjoins. 

This  world  emits  a  bad  savor  in  the  records  of 
God.  Wherein,  in  trespasses  and  sins,  says  the 
apostle,  ye  walked  according  to  the  course  of  this 
world,  according  to  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the 
air,  the  spirit  that  now  worketh  in  the  children  of 
disobedience.  The  course  of  this  world,  then,  is 
directed  by  the  prince  of  darkness ;  and  in  direct- 
ing it,  he  employs  all  the  faculties  of  their  souls, 
and  all  the  members  of  their  bodies,  as  instruments 
of  unrighteousness  unto  sin.  The  world  is  at  this 
moment  full  of  demoniacs :  the  evil  one  takes  as 
complete  possession  of  their  persons,  and  abuses 
tliem  to  as  ignoble  purposes,  as  ever  he  did  their 
bodies  in  the  days  of  our  Lord's  humiliation — Oh 
that  men  who  are  estranged  from  God,  would  he- 
lieve  the  terrifying  truth  !  Yes,  in  that  fair,  and 
gentle,  and  courteous,  and  polished  form,  dwells 
the  spirit  that  organizes  all  the  rebellion  agamst 
God,  all  the  misery  of  man ;  all  that  he  fears,  and 
has  reason  to  fear ;  and  causes  that  lake  of  fire  and 
brimstone,  into  which  his  intention  is  to  plunge  his 
votaries.  Do  you  wonder,  then,  that  the  scripture 
has  said,  whoever  loill  be  the  friend  of  the  world  is 


106  Non- Conformity  to  the  World. 

the  enemy  of  God.  Under  his  evil  coiitro),  the 
world,  like  a  rebellious  province,  has  set  up  for 
itself;  and  acts  as  if  it  were  perfectly  independent 
of  the  divine  government.  It  has  its  own  institu- 
tions, statutes,  and  customs — its  own  pursuits — its 
own  ethics — its  own  penal  code,  and  its  own  re- 
compenses. It  covers  the  very  same  ground  which 
is  covered  by  the  law  of  God ;  but  is,  of  course, 
perfectly  hostile  and  contradictory  both  to  the  law 
and  the  Lawgiver.  Here,  then,  is  the  cause  and 
origin  of  all  those  injunctions  of  the  scriptures,  con- 
cerning our  non-conformity  to  the  world.  It  is  in 
necessary  and  perpetual  collision  with  the  autho- 
rity of  our  rightful  Sovereign.  Obedience  to  the 
one  infallibly  excludes  obedience  to  the  other.  And 
it  is  most  idle  and  ridiculous  to  attempt  their  con- 
ciliation ;  the  very  attempt  proves  its  author  to  be 
an  enemy  to  God,  and  a  slave  to  the  usurper. 

The  case,  my  friends,  admits  of  but  one  alterna- 
tive :  you  must  either  take  your  part  with  the 
world,  and  share  in  its  guilt  and  condemnation,  oi 
you  nuist  come  put  from  the  world,  and  he  separate^ 
i.  e.  you  must  be  Christians  wholly  or  not  at  all. 
No  middle  character  can  be  allowed.  If  you  are 
not  for  the  Savior,  you  must  be  agcllnst  him.  If 
you  do  not  gather  with  him  you  must  be  numbered 
among  those  who  scatter  abroad.  Neither  the 
kingdom  of  heaven  nor  the  kingdom  of  hell  toler- 
ates a  neutral  character.     If  Jehovah  he  God,  fol- 


Non- Conformity  to  the  World.  107 

low  him  ;  and  if  Baal  be  God,fol!oiu  him.  But  to 
halt  between  two  opinions  marks  the  feebleness  of 
present  indecision,  and  will  only  conduct  to  future 
ruin. 

Yet  it  is  not  from  all  intercourse  with  the  world 
that  heth  in  wickedness  that  the  authority  of  Jesus 
Christ  prohibits  you.  For  then,  as  saith  the  apos- 
tle, ye  must  needs  go  out  of  the  icorld.  But  in 
your  separation  from  it  you  must  show  a  character 
which  the  world  never  forms,  and  cannot  under-  ^ 
stand ;  must  show  that  while  you  are  in  it  you  are 
not  of  it — that  you  do  not  love  it — that  your  com- 
merce with  it  is  of  pure  necessity,  and  that  you  are 
going  rapidly  as  time  can  carry  you  to  that  glorious 
home,  where  it  shall  never  more  show  its  face. 
You  must  be  separated  from  and  have  no  commu- 
nion with  those  things  which  distinguish  the  world 
from  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord,  and  which  qualify 
you  for  the  career  of  that  graceless  society  whose 
steps  take  hold  on  hell,  leading  down  to  the  cham- 
bers of  death. 

1.  There  must  be  a  renunciation  of  the  maxims 
of  the  world. 

These  maxims,  without  exception,  centre  in  the 
creature,  and  are  bounded  by  time.  There  is  not 
one  of  them  which  regards  an  immortal  destiny. 
Let  us  eat  and  drink,  for  tomorrow  loe  die,  is  the 
sum  of  its  philosophy.  And  were  it  true — did  the 
spirit  of  man,   like   that  of  a   beast,   go   down- 


.108  Non- Conformity  to  the  World. 

ward — there  is  nothing  to  arraign  its  wisdom  nor 
to  demonstrate  the  prudence  of  a  very  different 
course.  But  if,  on  the  contrary,  we  are  immortal 
beings,  than  which  nothing  can  be  more  certain, 
then  to  have  all  our  principles  of  action  shaped 
only  to  the  requisitions  of  a  mortal  life,  is  the  ex- 
treme of  folly  and  madness ;  and  the  farther  we 
can  be  from  so  great  a  delusion,  the  better  for  us. 
Now  for  example: 

It  is  one  of  the  maxims  of  the  world,  that  if  we 
are  virtuous,  i.  e.  if  we  render  to  every  man  his 
due,  cultivate  the  mild  and  beneficent  affections,  do 
good  actions,  and  are  free  from  gross  iniquities,  it 
is  enough.  No  more  will  b<^  required  of  us  by  God 
himself,  and  we  may  sit  down  at  our  ease  in  the 
calm  and  undisturbed  hope  of  unquestioned  bliss. 

Brethren,  let  me  deal  very  plainly  with  you  on 
this  point,  for  it  is  in  reality  the  rock  on  which 
a  great  portion  of  men  make  shipwreck  of  their 
souls;  and  I  would  observe  that  it  confines  all 
your  accountability  to  the  second  table  of  the 
law,  leaving  the  first,  all  your  duties  and  your  rela- 
tions to  God,  unprovided  for.  Who  knows  not 
that  amiable  and  beneficent  tempers  are  an  essen- 
tial part  of  the  religion  of  our  Lord  lesus  Christ  \ 
But  who  knows  not  that,  separated  from  the  con- 
nection under  which  his  word  has  placed  them, 
torn  asunder  from  supreme  love  to  God  from  which 
he  has  made  them  to  spring,  they  are  at  best  but  a 


Non- Conformity  to  the  World.  109 

milder  form  of  rebellion  against  him  ?     How  often 
must  you  be  reminded  that  mutual  acts  of  kind- 
ness, the   various  good   offices   of  life,   are  simply 
necessary  to  the  existence  of  society  among  rebels, 
and  that  the  man  who  may  be  most  distinguished 
for  them  may  himself  be  the  most  obnoxious  rebel 
among   the  whole,  and    may  be   condemned   for 
abetting  and  encouraging  others  in  their  rebelhon? 
Was  such   a  plea   ever   of  any  value   before  the 
tribunals  of  men  ?     Has  it  not  appeared  that  the 
most    humane,    beneficent,    and    even    righteous 
among   a  band    of  transgressors,  was   himself  a 
principal  culprit?      And  did  the   abuse  of  these 
good   quahties  in  the  service  of  rebellion  for  one 
moment    arrest   the    most    condign   punishment? 
And  shall  we  impute   to  the  perfect  government 
of  God  a  blunder  which  cannot  find  a  place  among 
the  imperfect  governments  of  men  ?    Besides,  what 
becomes  of  the  rights  of  God  your  Maker  ?    Where 
IS   the  obedience  to  the  first  and  greatest  com- 
mandment. Thou  Shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  toith 
all  thy  heart,  and  loith  all  thy  strength,  and  icith 
all  thy  mind?     Is  this  to  be  trodden  under  foot 
with  impunity  ?     Are  you  to  go  all  your  lives  Ion- 
forgetful  of  the  infinite  good,  and  when  called  to 
account  escape  under  the  pretext  that  you  were 
kmd  to  rebels  like  yourself?     Never  to  bestow  a 
thought  upon  the  eternal  world,  and  to  step  as  a 
matter  of  course  into  all  its  blessedness  ?    Never  to 


110  Non- Conformity  to  the  World. 

have  any  concern  about  glorifying  God  here,  and 
to  be  taken  up  from  the  mire  of  your  pollutions 
unpardoned,  unwashed,  unsanctified,  into  the  full 
possession  of  his  glory  hereafter?  O  more  than 
sottish !  Who  hath  bewitched  you,  children  of 
men  ?  And  do  I  not  speak  to  many,  who,  with 
the  gospel  of  salvation  freely  and  fully  proclaimed 
in  their  hearing,  have  yet  no  other  hope  of  divine 
acceptance  than  this  absurd  and  stupid  he  \  Be- 
Ueve  not  the  world.  Her  theology  is  not  for  sinful 
man.  To  behave  decently  on  earth  is  no  passport 
for  heaven.  It  may  do  well  enough  among  the 
blind  and  clumsy  judges  here,  but  will  infallibly  be 
detected  by  the  keen-eyed  righteousness  beyond 
the  grave.  That  ivhich  is  horn  ofthejlesh  isjiesh; 
but  except  a  man  he  horn  of  the  Spirit,  he  cannot 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  Hope  for  no 
change,  for  no  mitigation.  If  the  Lord  Clwist 
speaks  true,  you  shall  find,  when  there  is  no  recti- 
fying mistakes,  that  every  man  of  you  who  has  all 
that  the  world  pronounces  enough,  and  has  no 
more,  will  be  forever  shut  out  from  the  kingdom 
of  God. 

2.  Where  the  world  cannot  succeed  in  expell- 
ing religious  sensibility  altogether,  there  is  another 
maxim  calculated  to  neutralize  its  power  and  ren- 
der it  ineffectual:  "  You  need  not  be  so  strict;  this 
great  precision  only  does  harm ;  it  makes  religion 
unamiable,  and  yourselves  odious.      Why  cannot 


Non- Conformity  to  the  World.  m 

jou  enjoy  in  moderation  and  with  dignity  the 
innocent  freedoms  which  form  the  zest  of  society, 
and  not  put  on  that  sombre  air,  and  keep  at  so 
chilling  a  distance  from  all  the  relish  of  life  ?" 

In  this  way  do  men  contrive  to  make  void  the 
law  of  God  by  their  manner  of  representation. 
To  fear  God  and  do  his  will,  is  "  strictness "  and 
"  hurtful  precision."     To  preserve   tenderness  of 
conscience,  is  to  be  "  unamiable  and  odious."     Tc 
follow  the  multitude,  is  to  "  enjoy  with  moderation 
and  dignity  only  innocent  freedoms  ;"  and  to  avoid 
all  appearance  of  evil,  is  to  have  "a  sombre  air  and 
to  keep  at  a  chilling  distance  from  the  rehsh  of  hfe." 
So  they  wrap  it  up.     To  make  short  work  of  all 
these  fair  words  and  false  pretences,  do  those  who 
use  them  really  love  the  law  of  God?  and  is  it  only 
against   extravagant   and    fanatical  excesses   that 
they  set  their  faces?     Or  is  their  opposition  in  very 
deed  pointed  at  all  that  holiness  luithout  which  no 
man  shall  see  the  Lord  ?     Is  it  not  precisely  the 
image  of  God  which  they  cannot  endure,  and  his 
authority   which    they   would    gladly    set    aside? 
Would  they  not  rob  you  of  all  the  comforts  of  a 
good  conscience  ?  of  all  the  sweets  of  a  peaceful 
walk  with  God  ?    and  persuade   you  to   exchange 
them  for  the  giddy  whirl,  for  the  idiot  laugh,  for 
the   midnight  debauch,   and  whatever  belongs  to 
that  mental  and  bodily  dissipation  which  is  like  the 
crackling  of  thorns  under  a  pot,  noisy  for  a  moment 


112  Non- Conformity  to  the  World. 

and  gone  forever  ?  Among  the  other  things  which 
form  the  "  zest  of  society,"  you  must  polhite  your 
conscience,  corrupt  your  morals,  and  dishonor  the 
glorious  and  fearful  name  of  the  Lord  your  God 
by  a  httle  "  innocent"  gambhng.  You  must  also 
participate  in  that  rational  and  elegant  amusement 
which  the  abandoned  and  thieves  select  for  their 
special  entertainment,  the  play-house  —  all,  lest 
your  rehgion  should  appear  un amiable.  Were  the 
Lord  Jesus  now  on  earth,  should  he  not  pass  with 
our  fashionable  judges  as  morose,  petulant,  imper- 
tinent, a  perfect  stranger  to  polished  manners,  an 
enemy  to  all  the  cheerfulness  and  the  graces  of 
life?  His  apostle  Paul  would  be  derided  as  a 
fanatic;  and  John,  the  beloved  disciple,  would  be 
pitie^d  as  a  well-meaning  enthusiast,  endurable 
only  because  he  was  weak.  In  short,  my  friends, 
if  you  mean  to  be  Christians,  you  must  walk  as 
Christ  also  walked.  Your  ears  must  be  deaf  alike 
to  the  open  enmity  and  the  hollow  friendship  of 
the  world.  You  must  have  nothing  to  do  with 
their  plausible  maxims — parleying  is  half  a  sur- 
render. You  must  put  down  your  foot  decisively 
in  the  King's  highway,  the  way  of  holiness,  in 
which  the  elders  obtained  a  good  report,  and  which 
is  your  short  and  only  way  to  the  kingdom. 

3.  When  guilt,  who  pays  no  regard  to  etiquette, 
bursts  in  upon  the  conscience,  raises  his  rugged 
voice,  and  reads  his  fearful  lectures,  the  world  has 


Noil- Conformity  to  the  World.  113 

another  maxim  to  soothe  him  down  and  to  keep  all 
quiet  within  :  '■•  God  is  a  merciful  God ;  we  injure 
Ills  name  by  ascribing  harshness  and  rigor  to  him. 
He  pities  his  poor,  feeble  creatures,  compassionates 
their  infirmities,  takes  delight  in  forgiving  their 
faults,  and  will  not  be  extreme  to  mark  what  is 
amiss." 

How  fiilse  and  foul  a  conclusion,  coupled  with 
the  most  blessed  truth  that  can  sound  in  the  ears 
of  an  awakened  sinner !  He  is  merciful.  The 
dimensions  of  his  mercy,  its  height,  and  depth,  and 
length,  and  breadth,  it  is  not  for  the  creature  to' 
scan.  The  gospel  alone  however  has  revealed  it 
in  all  its  magnitude  and  freedom.  But  it  is  not 
to  that  mercy  as  thus  revealed  that  the  world 
appeals.  Jesus  Christ  and  his  merit  and  grace  find 
no  place  among  its  maxims.  The  creed  of  the 
world  and  that  of  the  Unitarians  are  perfectly 
agreed.  Shut  out  the  Saviour  ;  make  no  use  what- 
ever of  him  as  the  way,  and  the  truth,  and  the  life; 
know  nothing,  believe  nothing,  say  nothing,  of  that 
new  and  living  luay  irJiicli  he  hath  consecrated  hy 
his  blood,  and  all  the  rebels  together  will  be  loud  in 
their  praises  of  the  divine  mercy.  But  all  this  cry 
about  the  mercy  of  God  is  to  encourage  sinners 
who  continue  in  their  sins.  It  has  nothins:  in  com- 
mon  with  the  salvation  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
who  saves  his  people  /yowi  their  sins.  It  creates  a 
deceitful  hope,  a  lying  persuasion,  that  a  man  may 

VOL.  IV.       8 


114  Non- Conformity  to  the  World. 

live  habitually  neglectful  of  God,  of  his  immortal 
soul,  of  his  eternal  interests,  and  after  all  have  a 
just  confidence  in  the  divine  mercy.  Believe  it 
not — shut  your  ears  against  so  popular  and  fatal  a 
delusion.  It  is  not  he  who  palhates,  but  he  who 
confesses  and  forsakes  his  sins — he  who  turns  from 
them  wholly,  impartially,  forever,  and  turns  his  feet 
unto  God's  testimonies — that  shall  find  mercy. 
Have  as  much  as  you  please  of  this  divinity  of  the 
world.  It  is  reprobate  silver ;  it  will  never  make 
you  rich  unto  everlasting  hfe,  nor  buy  one  shred 
«)f  clothing  to  cover  your  nakedness.  The  hlood 
of  Jesus  must  cleanse  you  from  all  sin  ;  the  right- 
eousness of  Jesus  must  be  your  spotless  robe  j  the 
Spirit  of  Jesus  must  be  your  sanctifier;  or  in  that 
great  and  terrible  day  of  the  Lord  you  have  no- 
thins;  to  look  for  but  to  be  condemned  ivith  the 
world. 

2.  To  renounce  in  words  the  maxims  of  the 
world,  will  be  of  little  avail,  if  we  do  not  also 
renounce  its  practices. 

The  world  has  a  method  of  forming  a  conscience 
of  its  own,  and  a  moral  law  to  correspond  with  it, 
so  that  whoever  observes  this  law,  however  he 
may  disregard  and  insult  the  law  of  God,  is  to  be 
respected  as  a  correct  and  honorable  man.  For 
example : 

You  may  spend  a  life  in  utter  forgetfulness  of 
God  and  his  worship — in  the  most  positive  unbe- 


Non- Conformity  to  the  World.  115 

lief,  and  the  most  marked  contempt  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ — in  habitual  and  even  studious  neg- 
lect of  his  great  salvation,  and  every  thing  referring 
to  its  existence,  and  you  never  break  the  chain  of 
your  harmony  with  the  world.  These  things  give 
no  uneasiness  to  a  worldly  conscience,  nor  dis- 
qualify you  in  the  least  for  worldly  honor  and  con- 
fidence. Nay,  more  :  you  may  convert  the  Sab- 
bath day,  the  day  which  the  Lord  emphatically 
calls  his  own,  into  a  season  for  secular  business,  or 
carnal  amusement — you  may  even  profane  the 
name  of  the  Lord  your  God — you  may  bestow 
your  highest  affections  upon  as  many  idols  as  you 
can  find  places  for  in  your  heart — it  breaks  no 
scores  with  a  worldly  conscience,  nor  depreciates 
you  in  the  least  in  the  eyes  of  worldly  men.  If 
you  hve  in  a  commercial  country,  you  may  defraud 
the  government  of  its  just  dues — may  make  false 
entries  of  your  goods.  If  your  country  be  neutral, 
may  furnish  forged  papers  for  your  vessel,  to  suit 
either  belligerent,  as  circumstances  shall  require  ; 
may  crown  the  whole  with  some  hard  swearings 
which  old-fashioned  men  call  perjury ;  you  may 
break,  as  it  is  termed,  may  convey  your  property 
fraudulently  out  of  the  reach  of  its  true  owners  ; 
may  bring  multitudes  of  the  poor,  the  widowed, 
and  the  fatherless,  who  trusted  in  your  integrity,  to 
the  extreme  of  wretchedness — and  when  you  have 
secured  a  human  acquittal,  by  laws  perhaps  not  a 


116  Non- Conformity  to  the  Wo?-ld. 

whit  more  righteous  than  your  own  principles,  may 
erect  your  crest,  may  turn  round  and  look  full  in 
the  face  the  very  persons  you  have  ruined ;  may 
insult  them  with  the  ostentatious  display  of  your 
wealth,  and  receive  not  a  hat  the  less.  If  you 
have  spirit  to  carry  the  matter  so  high,  you  may 
disturb  domestic  peace,  and  then  blow  out  the 
brains  of  the  injured,  for  breathing  upon  your  honor. 
The  skirts  of  the  world's  conscience  are  very  large, 
and  its  bowels  of  charity  very  strong,  for  all  who 
side  with  it  against  the  puritanical  practices  of 
fearing  God  and  keeping  his  commandments.  But 
now  hear  a  moment  what  He  who  is  to  be  your 
Judge  hath  said.  Be  not  deceived :  Neither  forni- 
cators, nor  idolaters,  nor  adulterers,  nor  abusers  of 
themselves  with  mankind,  nor  thieves,  nor  covetous, 
nor  drunkards,  nor  revilers,  nor  extortioners,  shall 
inherit  the  kingdom  of  God.  His  law  is  made,  and 
its  penalty  enacted,  for  the  lawless  and  disobedient, 
for  the  ungodly  and  for  sinners,  for  unholy  and 
profane,  for  liars,  for  perjured  persons,  for  murder- 
ers, and  if  there  be  any  other  thing  that  is  contrary 
to  sound  doctrine.  He  has  said  that  the  wicked, 
whoever  they  be,  by  whatever  names  they  go,  and 
under  whatever  sanctions  they  n>ay  shield  them- 
selves, shall  be  turned  into  hell  ;  if  you  mean  to 
take  up  your  bed  there  and  to  know,  by  awful  ex- 
perience, what  it  is  to  dwell  with  everlasting  burn- 
ings, why  then  go,  he  conformed  to  this  world,  and 


Noil- Conformity  to  the  World.  117 


.• 


divide  its  recompense.  But  if  not,  if  you  are  set 
for  another  course,  and  for  another  issue,  if  you 
design  to  meet  the  Lord  in  the  air,  when  all  that 
belongs  to  the  world  will  be  poor  and  contemptible 
enough,  then  see,  in  the 

11.  Place,  the  necessity  of  the  transformation 
mentioned  in  the  text.  Be  ye  transformed  in  the 
renewing  of  your  mind. 

Your  speculative  opinions,  and  your  practical 
judgments,  on  those  vital  questions  which  affect 
your  relations  to  God,  and  the  salvation  of  your 
soul,  must  be  exactly  the  reverse  of  the  maxims 
and  habits  of  this  world.  You  must  change  sides  : 
do  it  effectually,  decidedly,  visibly.  You  are  to 
inquire,  not  what  is  fashionable,  but  what  is  right; 
not  what  is  reputable  or  passable  among  men,  but 
what  the  Lord  God  hath  spoken ;  you  must,  in  a 
particular  manner,  come  out  for  the  name  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  for  the  truth  which  is 
according  to  godliness.  Let  me  address  a  word  to 
those  who  are  sensible  of  their  duty,  and  yet  shrink 
from  the  performance  of  it.  Hoiu  long  halt  ye 
between  two  opinions  ?  If  your  opinion  is  fixed  on 
the  great  matters  of  your  eternal  hope,  of  what  are 
you  ashamed  or  afraid  ?  Smothered  regard  our 
Captain  disdains.  Do  not  imagine  that  if  you  are 
really  his  disciples  ye  can  escape  detection  by  the 
world,  or  that  it  will  spare  you  the  more,  or  hate 
you  the  less.     Wo  be  unto  you  if  it  should  !     Are 


118  Non- Conformity  to  the  World. 

you  afraid,  when  you  look  around  you  and  obse^r 
the  mighty  difference  between  the  character  of 
professing  Christians,  and  the  requisitions  of  your 
Divine  Master,  that  you  too,  will  one  day  fallback 
and  bring  a  blot  upon  that  icortliy  name  ivlierehy 
ye  are  called?  It  is  a  salutary  fear;  but  may  be 
worked  up  into  a  grievous  temptation.  It  should 
inspire  caution ;  not  keep  among  the  ranks  of  un- 
believers, and  apparently  in  the  interests  of  enmity 
against  God.  To  omit  the  plain  duty  of  leaving 
the  world  that  lieth  in  wdckedness,  is  not  the  way 
to  find  freedom  or  peace.  Cast  your  fears  of  fall- 
ing upon  him  who  has  said,  7ny  grace  is  sufficient 
for  thee;  start  from  your  lethargy  and  run  with 
patience  the  race  that  is  set  hefore  you,  lookiny  unto 
Jesus,  the  author  and  finisher  of  your  faith. 

And  let  these  careless  professors,  whose  lives  lay 
"a  stumbling  block  before  their  more  conscientious 
brethren,  suffer  the  word  of  reproof  and  exhorta- 
tion. You  are  justly  hable  to  part  of  that  same 
rebuke  which  our  Lord  gave  to  the  Jewish  lawyer; 
not  indeed  for  taking  aicay  the  key  of  knowledge, 
but  to  the  other  and  severer  part  of  his  charge ; 
you  go  not  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  yourselves, 
and  them  that  would  enter  in  y^  hinder.  Is  it 
not  enough  to  dishonor  the  Saviour  under  the  pre- 
tence of  being  his  friends,  but  must  you  keep  back 
others  from  honorino;  liim  ?  Are  ve  not  satisfied 
with   perishing   alone — must  you   strive   to   make 


Non-Covformify  to  the  World.  119 

your  neighbors  bear  your  company  ?  Is  the  taste 
of  their  blood -sweet  to  you?  or  will  it  be  pleasant 
to  sink  clown  to  death  under  the  weight  of  their 
ruin,  superadded  to  your  own  1  rather  seek  to  en- 
courage them;  to  cheer  their  drooping  hopes s  to 
revive  their  fainting  spirits ;  to  strengthen  the 
hands  that  hang  down,  and  confirm  the  feeble 
knees;  and  make  straight  paths  for  your  feet, 
lest  that  which  is  lame  he  turned  out  of  the  way, 
but  let  it  rather  be  healed.  O  how  delightful  to 
enter  the  palaces  above,  with  a  friend  on  either 
side  !  To  hear  a  saved  one,  whom  perhaps  you 
never  knew,  acknowledge,  if  it  had  not  been  for 
this  man's  firmness,  for  that  woman's  tenderness, 
for  yonder  person's  fidehty,  I  had  perhaps  missed 
my  road,  been  led  astray  in  the  paths  of  the 
seducer,  and  had  never  been  here  1  Think  you 
that  such  things  will  not  add  to  the  lustre  of  your 
crown,  to  the  intensity  of  your  bliss,  to  the  beauty 
of  your  heaven  1  As  you  value  all  the  three,  be 
persuaded  by  a  close  imitation  of  Jesus  Christ,  to 
help,  and  not  to  hinder  others  in  the  prosecution 
of  their  high  calling. 

This  transformation  must  be  by  the  renewing 
of  your  mind.  Outward  things  alone  vvill  not  do. 
Bodily  exercise prqfiteth  little.  The  resolution  must 
be  radical,  and  within  the  soul.  That  Holy  Spirit, 
who  is  the  vicegerent  of  Jesus  Christ,  must  apply 
his  power  to  create  men  anew ;  or  after  all  their 


120  Non- Conformity  to  the  World. 

reformation,  their  hearts  will  be  still  hankering 
after  the  lust  of  thejlesh,  the  lust  of  the  eye,  and  the 
pride  of  life.  Trifle  not  with  eternal  things. 
Never  imagine  that  what  man  can  see  and  under- 
stand is  enough.  Though  if  you  have  not  what 
he  can  see  and  understand,  there  is  a  fatal  de- 
ficiency. Your  light  must  so  shine  before  men, 
that  others,  seeing  your  good  works,  may  glorify 
your  Father  which  is  in  heaven.  But  in  order  to 
effect  so  divine  a  result,  marvel  not  if  we  per- 
petually ring  in  your  ears  that  proclamation  of  the 
Master,  Ye  must  he  horn  again  I  Your  faculties 
must  be  turned  away  from  the  objects  of  sinful 
pursuit,  to  the  will  and  the  work  of  your  reconciled 
God  and  heavenly  Father.  Like  the  great  High 
Priest  of  your  profession,  you  must  delight  to  do 
the  will  of  God.  Your  affections  too  must  be 
changed,  and  must  change  their  objects.  If  ye, 
then,  he  risen  with  Christ,  to  a  new  and  holy  life, 
seek  those  things  ivhich  are  ahove,  where  he  himself 
sitteth  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  Set  your  affec- 
tions on  things  ahove,  not  on  things  on  the  earth. 
For  ye  are  dead,  arid  your  life  is  lad  with  Christ  in 
God.  In  fine,  this  renewing  of  your  mind  will 
make  you  ,  spiritually  minded,  whicji  is  life  and 
'peace. 

III.  The  connection  under  which  this  non- 
conformity to  the  world  is  placed  in  the  text 
demands   your  serious  attention :    JViat  ye  iwiy 


Non- Conformity  to  the  World.  121 

prove  what  is  that  good  and  acceptable  and  perfect 
will  of  God. 

So  long  as  men  live  conformably  to  the  course 
of  this  world,  they  labor  under  an  incapacity, 
criminal  indeed,  but  still  an  incapacity,  of  clearly 
perceiving  what  the  will  of  God  is,  and  especially 
that  it  is  good  and  acceptable  and  perfect.  The 
motives  which  govern  them,  the  influences  which 
act  upon  them,  the  objects  of  their  preference,  all 
conspire  to  draw  a  thick  film  over  their  moral 
vision.  So  that  the  most  conclusive  scriptural 
demonstrations  do  not  operate  with  their  proper 
force,  nor  can  the  strongest  scriptural  light  make 
their  way  plain  before  their  face.  They  still  grope 
in  the  dark,  and  though  the  light  shineth  in  dark- 
ness, the  darkness  comprehendeth  it  not.  They 
still  profess  their  honesty,  avow  themselves  sin- 
cere inquirers  after  truth,  and  wonder  that  they 
come  no  nearer  to  a  satisfying  conclusion ;  or 
perhaps  they  do  come  to  a  conclusion,  and  equally 
wonder  to  find  all  the  plain  simple-hearted  Chris- 
tians in  the  world  are  against  them.  I  have  only 
to  say,  that  one  beam  of  the  glory  of  God  in  Christ 
Jesus  darting  into  their  minds,  will  instantly  put  to 
flight  this  boasted  honesty,  this  pretence  of  sincere 
inquiry,  and  make  them  see  and  own  the  incon- 
ceivable deceitfulness  of  their  own  hearts.  Under 
the  power  of  his  renewing  grace  their  vision  is 
purified.     The  images  which  it  forms  are  in  their 


122  Non- Conformity  to  the  World. 

proper  place  and  position.  Obscurities  are  en- 
lightened, .  entanglements  are  unravelled,  doubts 
resolved,  and  the  wonder  now  is  at  the  former 
blindness.  The  words  of  God  have  an  evidence 
and  an  efficacy  altogether  surprising.  The  will 
of  God  there  is  no  difficulty,  generally  speaking, 
of  determining  with  the  greatest  precision ;  par- 
ticularly all  that  revealed  will  which  affects  the 
substance  of  our  faith,  our  duty,  and  our  hope. 
They  who  believe  his  testimony  the  most  firmly, 
receiving  it  upon  his  own  authority  as  undisputed 
and  indisputable  truth,  make  the  most  rapid  and 
eminent  progress.  They  ask  no  questions  but 
what  said  ray  Lord  unto  his  servant!  and  they 
are  enabled  to  perceive  both  what  he  does  say 
and  that  it  is  all  good,  and  of  such  a  sort  as  must 
be  4icceptahk  when  it  takes  place  in  them,  and 
precisely  that  which  suits  their  circumstances  and 
promotes  the  end  for  which  it  was  intended,  being 
therefore  every  way  perfect.  It  is  just  what  they 
themselves  would  wish  it.  They  have  nothing  to 
diminish,  to  add,  nor  to  alter.  They  complain, 
indeed  they  have  reason  to  complain,  often  and 
bitterly,  oisin  that  dwellethin  them — of  the  lusting 
of  the  Jlesh  against  the  spirit — of  t\e  law  in  their 
memhers  warring  against  the  law  of  their  mind, 
and  bringing  them  into  captivity  to  the  laic  of  sin 
and  death.  But  of  the  law,  of  the  will  of  God,  not 
a  whisper  of  complaint — no  lamentation  about  its 


Non- Conformity  to  the  World.  123 

breadth  or  strictness — none  about  its  spirituality^ 
searching  even  to  the  dividing  asunder  of  the  soul 
and  spirit.  They  know  nothing  of  what  some 
men  call  a  milder  form  of  grace.  They  ask  for  no 
dispensations,  no  relaxation.  Their  unanimous 
verdict  is,  that  God's  commandments  are  not  griev- 
ous; that  the  law  is  holy,  and  the  commandment 
holy,  and  just,  and  good.  With  these  views  of  the 
divine  will,  they  go  from  strength  to  strength,  their 
path  being  that  of  the  just,  which  shineth  more  and 
more  unto  the  perfect  day. 

Such,  my  brethren,  is  the  non-conformity  to  this 
world  enforced  by  the  text,  and  such  its  fruits. 
Say,  then,  if  there  is  not  a  most  lamentable  and 
ruinous  difference  between  what  we  are  and  what 
we  should  be.  Who  is  there  that,  like  Enoch, 
walks  with  Godl  Who  makes  it  his  main  study 
to  be  conformed  to  the  image  of  the  first-horn  1  and 
inquires,  conscientiously,  into  the  state  and  progress 
of  his  conformity?  Who  crucifies  the  old  mem  with 
his  deeds,  the  Jlesh  with  the  affections  and  lusts  ? 
If  we  were  to  judge  from  the  appearance,  and  of 
professing  Christians,  we  should  certainly  conclude 
that  it  is  a  part  of  their  duty  to  be  as  unlike  God 
and  as  like  the  world  as  possible.  Look  at  their 
spirit ;  is  it  not  the  spirit  of  the  Vv^orld  ? — at  their 
affections  ;  are  they  not  the  affections  of  the  world? 
at  their  pursuit ;  are  they  not  the  pursuits  of  the 
world  ? — at   their    law    of  morals ;    is    it   not   the 


124  Non- Conformity  to  the  World. 

world's  law?  Have  they  any  better  or  higher  mo- 
tive or  standard  of  conduct  than  the  prevailing 
fashion  ?  Away  with  evasion  !  Come  to  the 
matter  of  fact.  How  do  you  stand  with  respect  to 
the  law  of  God  ? — to  the  active  faith  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ:  that  faith  which  purifies  the  heart, 
and  which  works  by  love  \  Why  do  you  turn 
pale  at  the  thoughts  of  death  ?  Why  shiver  with 
terror  in  the  prospect  of  the  judgment-seat  and 
the  judicial  process  X  To  a  Christian  actively 
engaged  in  his  vocation,  the  appearing  of  the 
Great  God  our  Saviour  ought  to  be  and  is  a 
blessed  hope.  Why  does  the  very  idea  of  it  fill 
you  with  trepidation  ?  Ah  !  my  dear  friends,  be 
assured  all  is  not  right.  There  is  something  rotten 
and  ruinous  in  your  condition,  and  must  be  rec- 
tified if  you  would  have  a  hope  that  shall  not  put 
you  to  shame.  Rouse  up,  all  ye  who  have  any 
regard  for  your  heavenly  Master !  Rouse  up  in 
his  strength!  shake  off  your  indolence  and  the 
entanglements  which  enwrap  you  !  Many  of  you 
are  convinced,  that  to  your  own  peace  and  to  your 
Redeemer's  glory  it  is  necessary  that  the  distance 
between  you  and  the  mere  people  of  the  world  be 
greatly  widened.  Stifle  not  convictio^is  while  you 
repress  the  urgencies  of  duty.  Do  what  the  hea- 
then sage  advised  a  young  man  to  do,  dare — dare 
to  snap  your  trammels — dare  to  be  singular — dare 
to  obey    God  rather    than  man.      You    will    lose 


Non- Conformity  to  the  World.  326 

nothing  either  of  comfort  or  of  dignity.  The  peace 
of  God  which  passeth  all  understanding  will  keep 
your  hearts  and  minds  in  Christ  Jesus.  The 
ministering  spirits  will  descend  from  on  high  to 
help  and  honor  those  who  honor  God.  He  will 
himself  cast  his  compassionate  and  complacent 
regards  upon  jou,  and  will  abuadantly  sweeten  all 
the  mortifications  which  may  be  poured  into  your 
cup.  Jesus  hath  said,  Where  I  am,  there  shall  my 
servant  he  also.  The  full  grace  of  which  promise 
you  shall  enjoy  in  the  ecstasy  of  your  hearts  when 
he  shall  take  you  to  himself  to  be  with  him  in 
safety ;  and  you  shall  see  the  world  with  its  gods, 
its  glories,  and  its  worshippers,  consuming  together 
in  the  last  fire  ! 


THE  FOUNTAIN  OF  LIFE. 


SERMON   IX. 


THE    FOUNTAIN    OF    LIFE. 

JOHN  VII.  37. 

In  the  last  day,  that  great  day  of  the  feast,  Jesus 
stood  and  cried,  saying,  If  any  man  thirst,  let 
him  come  unto  me  and  drink. 

The  blessed  Jesus  was  ever  employed  in  doing 
good.  To  save  the  souls  of  men  was  the  benevo- 
lent purpose  for  which  he  came  into  our  world,  and 
which  he  continually  prosecuted  during  tlie  whole 
of  his  ministry.  Love  to  our  ruined  race  prompted 
him  to  leave  the  bosom  of  his  Father,  to  empty 
himself  of  his  glory,  to  become  a  man  of  sorrows 
and  acquainted  with  grief  With  all  the  tender- 
ness of  faultless  humanity,  he  sympathized  with 
VOL.  IV.     9  129 


130  The  Fountain  of  Life. 

even  the  bodily  distresses  of  those  whom  he  came 
to  redeem,  and  lent  a  willing  hand  to  their  relief. 
But  on  their  spiritual  miseries  his  thoughts  were 
princi}3al!j  set.  Of  these  he  saw  perfectly  the 
deadly  nature  and  the  alarming  extent.  To  these 
he  called  perpetually  the  attention  of  men  ;  for 
these  he  proclaimed  himself  a  sovereign  Physician, 
and  offered  freely  his  almighty  aid.  In  this  labor 
of  love  his  life  was  spent.  He  omitted  no  oppor- 
tunity of  exercising  it,  and  the  same  principle 
which  animated  all  his  kind  and  gracious  actions 
now  leads  him  to  Jerusalem  at  the  feast  of  taber- 
nacles. 

This  feast,  which  God  ordained  to  commemo- 
rate the  travels  of  his  people  in  the  wilderness, 
where  they  dwelt  in  tents  or  tabernacles,  was  one 
of  the  three  solenm  occasions  on  which  all  the 
males  of  Israel  were  obliged  to  appear  before  God 
at  Jerusalem.  Accordingly  vast  multitudes  resorted 
thither  from  every  part  of  the  land.  The  city,  and 
especially  the  temple,  was  thronged.  On  the 
eighth,  which  was  the  last  and  greatest  day  of  the 
feast,  "  it  was  customary  for  the  priests  to  surround 
the  altar  with  their  palm-branches,  and  to  pour  out 
water  in  the  temple,  as  an  expression  of  the  gene- 
ral desire  of  the  Messiah's  appearance,  and  the 
pouring  forth  of  the  Spirit  by  him."  The  Re- 
deemer seized  this  occasion  of  claiming  publicly 
the  honors  of  his  character,  and  inviting  the  Jews 


The  Fountain  of  Life.  131 

to  faith  in  his  name.  He  ascends  a  small  emi- 
nence from  which  he  might  command  a  view  of 
the  people,  and  be  himself  both  seen  and  heard. 
How  august  the  scene !  Was  there  ever  such  an 
assembly  and  such  a  minister !  The  incarnate 
God  preaches  to  the  tribes  of  Israel !  How  awful 
and  venerable  his  aspect!  What  majesty  and  love 
beam  from  his  countenance  !  What  grace  flows 
from  his  lips  !  Be  still  every  tumult !  be  hushed 
every  unhallowed  passion  !  be  collected  all  wan- 
dering thoughts,  while  the  Saviour  speaks ! 
"Look,"  says  he,  "from  ordinances  to  the  God  of 
ordinances — from  the  symbol  to  the  thing  signified. 
Behold  in  me  the  accomplishment  of  the  prophetic 
promise.  The  Lord  whom  ye  seek,  shall  come  into 
his  temple  suddenly,  even  the  Angel  of  the  covenant 
whom  ye  delight  in.  Are  you  longing  for  the  Mes- 
siah promised  to  the  fathers  ?  I  that  speak  unto 
you  am  he.  Do  your  thirsty  souls  need  to  be  re- 
freshed by  the  waters  of  the  sanctuary  X  I  am  the 
Fountain  of  life.  Jf  any  man  thirst  let  him  come 
unto  me  and  drink.''  Happy  nation  !  had  they 
known  their  privileges  when  the  Lord  of  the  tem- 
ple was  present  in  the  temple  and  explained  his 
own  institutions ! 

But  we  must  not  confine  to  the  Jews  the  Sa- 
viour's grace.  To  all  who  enjoy  the  gospel  he 
offers  the  same  invitation.  To  us  he  cries,  and 
we  are  warned  not  to  turn  away  from  him  that 


»132  The  Fountain  of  Life. 

speaketh  from  heaven  ;  to  every  one  of  us  he  cries, 
If  any  man  tlnrst,  let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink  ? 

How  rich,  how  free,  how  adorable  his  grace  is, 
will  appear  from  considering  the  persons  invited, 
and  the  invitation  itself. 

I.  Let  us  attend  to  the  persons  invited.  They 
are  the  thirsty. 

No  man  can  be  so  senseless  as  to  imagine  that 
the  Redeemer  speaks  of  a  bodily  thirst.  He  is 
addressing  sinners  on  the  things  which  belong  to 
their  eternal  peace,  and  as  that  great  Prophet 
whom  the  Lord  God  had  promised  to  raise  up  in 
the  midst  of  Israel.  The  meaning  of  his  language 
must,  therefore,  correspond  with  the  importance  of 
his  object,  and  the  dignity  of  his  character.  His 
words  undoubtedly  relate  to  the  state  of  men's 
souls,  and  suppose  that  there  is  in  the  minds  of 
those  with  whom  he  is  deahng,  an  uneasiness  and 
anxiety  analogous  to  that  painful  sensation  which 
arises  from  extreme  thirst.  The  strong  terms  in 
which  this  state  of  mind  is  characterized,  have  in- 
duced the  current  opinion,  an  opinion  adopted 
indeed,  though  very  negligently,  by  even  great  and 
good  men,  that  the  Lord  Jesus  here  invites  none 
but  such  as  are  thirsting  after  an  interest  in  his 
everlasting  righteousness.  How  many  of  those 
who,  driven  from  every  other  hope,  were  endeav- 
oring to  fix  their  trembling  eye  upon  the  Re- 
deemer's atonement,    have  heard,    as    a  sentence 


The  Fountain  of  Life.  133 

denounced  in  thunder  against  them,  this  interpre- 
tation of  the  text !  "  Alas  !  I  fear  that  I  have  not 
the  spiritual  thirst  which  is  here  required,  and  am 
therefore  excluded  from  the  gracious  warrant,"  has 
often  been  the  language  of  exercised  people. 
These  are  certainly  included,  but  they  may  not 
monopohze  the  warrant :  and  in  truth  they  are  fre- 
quently the  first  to  decline  it,  as  not  belonging  to 
them.  If  the  words  imply  any  thing,  they  imply 
that  those  who  have  never  yet  drunk  of  the  water 
of  life  which  is  in  Christ  as  in  a  fountain,  may 
come  and  drink.  But  surely,  they  who  have 
learned  the  vanity  of  every  portion  but  a  reconciled 
God — who  have  learned  that  it  is  Christ  Jesus 
alone  by  whom  the  reconciliation  is  effected — who 
have  learned  to  renounce  every  refuge  of  lies,  and 
count  all  things  but  loss  and  dung  that  they  may 
win  Christ,  and  be  found  in  him,  not  having  their 
own  righteousness,  are  already  quickened  by  the 
Spirit  of  grace  and  truth ;  have  already  been  re- 
freshed from  the*  fountain  of  living  waters.  While, 
therefore,  the  text  encourages  such  to  apply  contin- 
ually to  the  fulness  of  the  Redeemer,  let  us  not  re- 
strict its  freedom  by  appropriating  it  to  them  alone. 
Christ  does  not  say,  "If  any  man  thirst  for  right- 
eousness— for  deliverance  from  the  guilt  and  power 
of  sin — for  communion  and  fellowship  with  God, 
let  him  come  unto  me  or  else  let  him  stay  back ;" 
but  simply,  and  in  the  most  unqualified  manner,  Tf 


134  The  Fountain  of  Life. 

any  man  thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink. 
Is  it  necessary  to  prove,  that  there  is  in  mankind, 
universally,  a  principle  which  brings  them  all  within 
the  compass  of  the  gracious  offer  ?  The  fact  is  as 
clear  as  noonday.  They  all  thirst,  and  insatiably 
too,  they  thirst  for  happiness.  This,  indeed,  is  a 
propensity  congenial  to  the  soul,  and  coeval  with 
its  existence.  It  was  implanted  in  man  when  God 
breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of  Ufe.-  It 
was  intended  to  answer  the  most  exalted  end,  by 
leading  him  perpetually  to  God,  the  uncreated 
source  of  bliss.  When  he  fell,  the  propensity  re- 
mained, but  the  direction  was  lost.  The  moment 
man  left  the  way  of  God  and  duty,  he  left  the  way 
of  peace  and  joy.  His  understanding  is  so  blinded 
that  he  knows  not  how  to  find  it  again.  His 
strength  is  so  enfeebled  that  he  is  unable  to  re- 
measure  his  steps,  to  re-mount  the  heights  of 
glory  from  which  he  fell — and  his  will  and  affec- 
tions are  so  depraved,  that  he  is  not  more  unable 
than  unwilling  to  return.  From  tliis  sad  condition 
of  doubt,  disquietude,  helplessness,  and  misery,  his 
thirst  for  happiness  impels  him  to  flee.  He  gropes, 
he  struggles :  but  he  gropes  at  midnight.  He 
struggles  with  obstacles  which  he  can  neither  re- 
move nor  surmount.  Bewildered  in  the  dreary 
mazes  of  an  inextricable  labyrinth,  without  light  to 
cheer,  without  a  clue  to  guide  him,  he  wanders  from 
creature  to  creature ;  and  after  all  his  labor  and  all  his 


The  Fountain  of  Life.  135 

toil,  finds  himself  as  far  as  ever  from  the  object  of  his 
wishes.  Deplorable  situation !  He  can  do  nothing 
but  tread  the  same  insipid,  lifeless,  hopeless  track. 
Fainting  with  thirst,  he  can  find  nothing  to  revive 
his  drooping  spirit,  nothing  to  cool  the  fever  of  his 
tongue.  Utterly  ignorant  of  God  and  his  consola- 
tions, he  knows  not  wiiere  or  how  to  obtain  that 
grace  which  alone  can  relieve  him  from  his  trouble. 
But  his  necessities  are  not  silent.  Ten  thousand 
wants  hft  up  their  voices,  and  send  their  cry  to  the 
very  heavens.  Pitiable,  my  brethren,  is  the  note 
of  wo :  and  so  importunate  was  the  entreaty  of 
human  wretchedness,  that  the  Son  of  God,  out  of 
pure  compassion,  left  the  throne  of  his  glory,  and 
clothed  himself  with  mortality,  that  he  might  apply 
a  remedy  to  our  otherwise  incurable  evils,  and 
deliver  us  froni  becoming  tjie  victims  of  eternal 
death.  In  consequence  of  what  he  has  done  and 
suffered,  he  has  opened  a  fountain  of  living  waters, 
and  invites  all  poor  sinners,  who  are  perishing 
with  thirst,  whether  they  beUeve  it  or  not,  to  come 
and  drink.  That  you  may  be  more  firmly  con- 
vinced of  this  delightful  truth,  turn  to  the  begin- 
ning of  the  fifty-fifth  chapter  of  Isaiah's  prophecy^ 
and  there  you  will  see  that  a  similar  invitation  is 
extended  to  every  one  who  hears  the  gospel,  even 
though  he  totally  disregards  the  great  salvation 
which  it  reveals.  Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come 
ye  to  the  waters,  and  he  that  hath  no  money ;  come 


136  The  Fountain  of  Life. 

ye,  buy,  and  eat ;  yea,  come,  buy  wine  and  milk,  the 
choicest  blessings,  without  money  and  ivithout  price, 
without  merit  or  recommendation.  Mark  what 
follows.  Wherefore  do  ye  spend  money  for  that 
which  is  not  bread?  and  your  labor  for  that  which 
satisfieth  not  ?  Do  they  who  are  seeking  Christ 
Jesus,  spend  their  time,  and  their  talents,  and  their 
labor,  in  pursuing  vanity  ?  Assuredly  not !  There 
cannot  be  a  more  exact  description  of  those  who 
seek  every  thing  else  but  Christ;  and  therefore  he 
adds,  with  infinite  tenderness.  Hearken  diligently 
unto  me,  and  eat  ye  that  lohich  is  good,  and  let  your 
soul  delight  itself  in  fatness.  And  in  the  same  un- 
limited manner  he  speaks  in  the  text,  If  any  man 
thirst,  let  him  come  unto  me  and  drink. 

Having  seen  who  are  the  persons  invited,  let  us 
now  attend, 

II.  To  the  invitation  itself. 

Since  human  misery  was  designated  by  the 
metaphorical  term,  thirst,  the  remedy  to  that  misery 
is  very  properly  exhibited  under  the  idea  of  drink- 
ing. The  command  of  Christ  is,  therefore,  nothing 
else  than  a  command  to  receive  from  him  all  the 
happiness  our  souls  can  wish.  As  if  he^  had  said, 
"  Miserable  men,  who  are  searching  for  happiness, 
but  have  missed  the  way,  expect  not  from  the 
creature  that  solid  and  permanent  enjoyment 
which  is  to  be  found  in  the  Creator  alone;  quit  the 
broken  cisterns  which  can  hold  no  water;  como  to 


The  Fountain  of  Life.  137 

me ;  I  only  am  the  portion  of  the  immortal  soul ; 
my  fulness  is  abundantly  adequate  to  gratify  your 
largest  wishes ;  come,  take,  taste,  drink,  and  live 
forever.  He  that  helieveth  on  me,  as  the  scripture 
hath  said,  out  of  his  helly  shall  flow  rivers  of  living 
icater. 

Without  insisting  on  a  number  of  remarks 
which  naturally  occur  on  this  copious  and  interest- 
ing subject,  let  us  direct  our  attention  to  the  fol- 
lowing important  truths,  that  are  plainly  inculcated 
in  the  text.  That  Christ  Jesus  requires  perishing 
men  to  place  their  confidence  in  him  only.  That 
his  salvation  is  exactly  fitted  to  their  necessities — 
and  that  it  is  freely  offered. 

1.  Christ  Jesus  requires  perishing  men  to  place 
their  confidence  in  him  alone. 

It  is  a  principle  uniformly  taught  in  the  scrip- 
tures— a  principle  which  cannot  dwell  too  fre- 
quently upon  our  recollections,  nor  too  powerfully 
affect  our  hearts — that  the  great  Redeemer  is  the 
only  hope  of  sinners,  and  therefore  in  this,  as  well 
as  in  every  other  invitation  of  the  gospel,  he  keeps 
out  of  sight  every  thing  but  his  glorious  self.  The 
new  covenant  is  so  constituted,  that  let  men  view 
it  in  any  direction  they  think  proper,  the  first  object 
which  meets  their  eyes  is  the  OTvine  Head  of  the 
covenant;  and  of  all  the  blessings  with  which  this 
covenant  abounds,  though  immense  in  their  mag- 
nitude, infinite  in  their  number,  inestimable  in  their 


138  The  Fountain  of  Life. 

value,  the  soul  can  neither  enjoy  nor  see  any,  till 
faith  not  only  look  but  enter  through  Christ  the 
door.  Accordingly,  the  chief  and  favorite  theme 
of  the  gospel  is  the  Lord  Jesus.  Mark  his  own 
invitation  in  the  passage  before  us.  What  instruc- 
tions does  he  give  to  poor  sinners  who  are  dying 
with  thirst  ?  Does  he  bid  them  first  to  drink  as 
much  as  they  can  from  the  polluted  waters  they 
may  have  in  themselves,  and  if  they  be  not  then 
satisfied,  to  come  to  him  and  supply  the  deficiency  ? 
Or,  to  strip  the  text  of  metaphor,  docs  he  bid  them 
do  what  they  can  to  obey  the  divine  law,  and  when 
they  find  their  righteousness  inadequate  to  answer 
its  high  demand,  to  come  to  him  and  receive  from 
his  righteousness  so  much  as  will  make  up  the 
defect  of  their  own,  and  render  the  compound  an 
oblation  worthy  of  God's  acceptance  \  No  such 
thing!  Christ  declares  to  men  their  misery;  he 
declares  himself  their  Saviour,  and  not  a  syllable 
do  w^e  hear  of  their  own  righteousness.  This  in- 
deed is  a  doctrine  very  unpalatable  to  the  unre- 
newed nature,  and  rouses  hito  opposition  all  the 
enmity  of  the  carnal  heart.  But  it  is  among  the 
first  lessons  in  the  divine  life,  and  if  ^Ve  do  not 
effectually  learn  it,  all  our  other  learning  is  of  tri- 
fling moment.  LJRtle  do  sinners  know  the  indig- 
nity they  offer  to  the  Son  of  Cod,  and  the  injury 
they  do  to  their  own  souls  by  endeavoring  to  asso- 
ciate themselves  with   him  in   the  work  of  their 


The  Fountain  of  Life.  1'39 

redemption.  Brethren,  deceive  not  yourselves. 
Christ  will  not  give  his  glory  to  another.  He  will 
not  share  with  you  the  honor  of  your  salvation. 
He  must  have  all  the  praise,  or  he  will  have  none. 
You  must  depend  entirely  on  him  or  entirely  on 
yourselves.  Christ  is  the  way,  aini  the  only  way 
to  the  Father  and  to  everlasting  life.  You  must 
be  either  wholly  in  this  way  or  wholly  out  of  it. 
There  is  no  medium.  You  cannot  combine  the 
old  and  new  covenants,  and  climb  to  heaven  partly 
by  one  and  partly  by  the  other.  If  you  please 
yourselves  with  such  an  idea,  shame  and  destruc- 
tion will  be  the  end  of  your  hope.  Foolish  men  ! 
Abandon  the  vain  attempt !  You  must  tear  Jeho- 
vah from  his  throne  before  you  succeed.  And 
what  do  you  intend  by  this  mad  behavior  ?  Is  not 
the  righteousness  of  Christ  sufficient  ?  Is  it  not 
perfect  ?  Is  it  not  spotless  ?  Do  you  think  that 
this  glorious  robe  cannot  beautify,  nor  cover,  nor 
secure  you,  unless  it  be  patched  with  the  filthy 
rags  of  your  own  righteousness'?  If  the  Lord 
Jesus  will  adorn  you  with  his  righteousness,  you 
may  well  part  with  your  own,  and  you  will  be  infi- 
nite gainers  by  the  exchange  ;  for, 

2.  His  salvation  is  exactly  fitted  to  your  neces- 
sities. 

In  forming  an  estimate  of  these  necessities,  we 
may  not  credit  the  report  of  our  own  hearts,  for 
they  are  deceitful  above  all  things,  and  desperately 


140  The  Fountain  of  Life. 

wicked.  We  must  appeal  from  their  partial  sen- 
tence to  the  judgment  of  the  law  and  the  testimony. 
Now  what  account  does  the  divine  word  give  of 
men  in  a  natural  state  \  It  represents  them  as 
spiritually  dead — as  covered  with  defilement  and 
loathsomeness — #s  far  from  God  and  hope — as  un- 
fruitful in  rigliteousness,  and  in  consequence  of 
these  things  like  briars  and  thorns,  whose  end  is  to 
be  burned.  What  eye  that  looks  back  upon  the 
original  beauty,  and  dignity,  and  bliss  of  man,  and 
surveys  the  dread  havoc  that  sin  has  made,  can 
refuse  a  tear  over  the  ruins  of  our  pristine  glory  ? 
What  eye  that  looks  around,  and  sees  no  arm  to 
deliver  from  these  depths  of  disgrace  and  wo,  will 
refuse  a  flood  of  tears  at  the  gloomy  prospect  ?  But 
let  the  sigh  of  anguish  be  turned  into  the  shout  of 
joy,  for  Jesus  the  deliverer  comes,  and  salvation, 
complete,  everlasting  salvation,  is  in  his  hand. 

He  saves  from  spiritual  death.  And  you  hath 
he  quickened,  says  the  apostle,  wlio  were  dead  in 
trespasses  and  sins.  The  hour  is  coming,  said  he 
to  the  Jews,  and  now  is,  when  the  dead  shall  hear 
the  voice  of  the  Son  of  God,  and  they  that  hear 
shall  live.  He  sends  forth  his  Holy  Spirit  and 
breathes  upon  the  dry  bones,  and  flesh  and  sinews 
come  upon  them,  and  life  enters  into  them,  and 
they  stand  up  upon  their  feet.  He  gives  them  to 
drink  of  the  river  of  the  water  of  life,  not  merely 
a  temporary  draughty  which  may  relieve  them  for 


The  Fountain  of  Life.  141 

a  moment  and  fail  them  hereafter,  but  imparts  it 
in  such  abundance  that  they  never  again  thirst. 
He  bestows  upon  them  that  precious' faith  which 
unites  them  inseparably  to  himself,  and  forms  a 
channel  through  which  streams  from  his  fulness 
flow  perpetually  into  them,  and  flow  so  copiously 
as  to  send  forth  from  themselves  rivers  of  hving 
water. 

Farther,  Christ  Jesus  not  only  quickens  bui' 
sanctifies.  Sanctification  is  indispensably  neces- 
sary to  fit  us  for  seeing  the  Lord,  for  relishing  the 
employments  of  heaven.  But  ah  !  how  polkited 
is  the  unrenewed  soul!  Hear  how  Jehovah  himself 
describes  it:  As  for  thy  nativity,  in  the  day  thou  wast 
horn  thy  navel  ivas  not  cut,  neither  ivast  thou  ivashed 
in  water  to  suiiple  thee  ;  neither  loast  thou  salted  at 
all,  nor  swaddled  at  all — hut  thou  wast  cast  out  in  the 
open  field  to  the  loathing  of  thy  person.  (Ezek. 
xvi.  4,  5.)  And  there  mightest  thou  have  lain  and 
perished  forever,  had  not  the  Redeemer  had  com- 
passion on  thee.  Yet  even  from  this  pollution 
mayest  thou  be  washed  in  the  fountain  opened  for 
sin  and  uncleanness.  The  Lord  God  has  prom- 
ised to  all  who  credit  his  testimony  respecting  his 
Son,  /  will  sprinkle  clean  water  upon  you,  and 
you  shall  he  clean  from  all  your  filthiness,  and 
from  all  your  idols  will  I  cleanse  you.  But  this 
purifying  water  can  be  obtained  only  in  Christ 
Jesus.     AH  who  are  now  in  glory,  without  a  sin- 


142  The  Fountain  of  Life. 

gle  exception,  washed  their  robes  and  made  them 
white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  Here  too  niust 
you  be  washed  or  you  must  die.  'Tis  the  un- 
changeable decree  of  an  unchanging  God.  And 
be  not  discouraged.  The  diseases  of  the  soul, 
though  terrible  beyond  conception,  are  not  so 
noisome  and  inveterate  as  to  baffle  the  healing 
energy  of  this  sacred  fountain.  The  blood  of 
Jesus  cleanses  from  all  sin,  and  it  can  cleanse  from 
yours,  though  it  equalled  the  united  pollutions  of 
all  the  redeemed  who  ever  lived  or  shall  live 
hereafter. 

By  performing  in  our  favor  such  miracles  of 
mercy,  our  Almighty  Friend  restores  us  to  the 
divine  image  and  approbation,  brings  us  near  to 
God,  and  inspires  us  with  the  sweet  hope  of  ever- 
lasting life.  Holiness  is  the  divine  image,  and  God 
must  love  what  is  like  himself  True,  our  highest 
earthly  attainments  are  stained  with  many  a  blot, 
and  cannot  abide  the  severe  scrutiny  of  Him  who 
chargeth  his  very  angels  with  folly.  But  personal 
holiness,  though  it  forms  the  lineaments  of  the 
divine  image  on  the  soul,  and  is  our  qualification 
for  heaven,  is  not  our  title  to  it.  This  js  the  im- 
puted righteousness  of  our  Redeemer.  We  have 
nothing  to  do  with  God  but  in  Jesus  Christ,  neither 
has  God  as  a  God  of  mercy  any  thing  to  do  with 
us  but  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  we  are  complete  in 
him.     In  his  righteousness,  and  therefore  in  his 


The  Fountain  of  Life.  143 

people's  righteousness,  not  even  Jehovah's  eye  can 
discern  a  blemish.  Thus,  in  receiving  him  by 
faith,  we  who  once  were  afar  off  are  brought  nigh 
by  the  blood  of  his  cross — nigh  in  the  acceptance 
of  our  persons  with  God — nigh  to  him  as  a  recon- 
ciled Father — nigh  in  fellowship  and  communion 
with  him.  We  have  boldness  and  confidence  in 
approaching  his  throne  of  grace,  for  every  step  in 
our  way  to  the  mercy  seat  is  sprinkled  with  the 
blood  of  our  great  Paschal  Lamb  ;  and  ilhielded  by 
the  faithfulness  of  him  who  cannot  lie,  we  are  per- 
fectly safe  from  the  blow  of  the  destroying  angel. 
Tell  me,  ye  who  are  strangers  to  the  Saviour,  how 
do  you  expect  to  obtain  access  to  the  living  God  \ 
Lay  the  word  of  truth  before  you — lay  your  hands 
upon  your  hearts — listen  to  the  monitor  within, 
and  say,  is  not  the  plan  which  brings  you  near  by 
Christ  Jesus,  a  glorious  plan  I  Children  of  decep- 
tion, who  look  for  this  privileo|e  from  any  other 
quarter,  be  assured  that  if  God  is  true,  your  hope 
shall  he  as  the  qnders  iceh,  and  your  coiijidence 
shall  lead  you  to  the  Jang  of  terrors. 

But  to  those  who  trust  in  his  merit  and  grace, 
the  kindness  of  our  great  High  Priest  goes  still 
farther.  He  does  not  only  quicken  and  sanctify 
their  souls  and  brins;  them  near  to  God,  he  also 
frees  them  from  the  reproach  of  unfruitfiilness. 

The  human  heart  is  naturally  a  dry,  a  barren, 
a  rocky  soil — not  one  heavenly  temper,  not  one 


144  The  Fountain  of  Life. 

good  disposition,  can  flourish  there.  All  the  graces 
of  the  divine  life  are  plants  of  foreign  growth. 
They  are  rooted  in  the  soul  hy  none  but  Jehovah 
the  Spirit,  and  in  none  but  those  whom  he  savingly 
unites  to  the  Lord  Jesus,  Here  again  we  see  the 
fitness  of  Christ's  salvation  to  our  wants.  Is  there 
present,  a  sinner  whose  heart  is  so  hard  and  barren 
that  not  one  holy  thought  can  spring  from  it  ? 
Thus  runs  the  rich  promise,  I  will  pour  icatei'  upon 
him  that  Hi  thirsty,  and  floods  upon  the  dry  ground. 
I  will  pour  my  spirit  upon  thy  seed,  and  my  bless- 
ing upon  thine  offspring  ;  and  they  shall  spring  up 
as  among  the  grass,  and  as  idllows  hy  the  water- 
courses. (Is.  xliv.  3,  4.)  Let  the  heart  be  hard, 
let  it  be  stubborn  and  impenetrable  as  the  flint,  the 
streams  which  issue  from  the  fountain  opened  for 
the  house  of  David  pierce  and  soften  and  fructify 
the  most  unyielding  and  barren  soil.  Then  faith 
and  all  the  kindred  graces  strike  deep  their  roots, 
spread  wide  their  branches,  unfold  their  blossoms, 
difi\ise  their  fragrance,  and  bear  much  fruit  to  the 
glory  of  God.  Nor  is  this  an  honor  and  a  happi- 
ness of  short  duration.  The  righteous  do  not  re- 
semble those  plants  of  rapid  growth,  wjhicli  start 
almost  immediately  from  the  seed  into  maturity, 
and  as  quickly  fade  and  die.  They  are  like  the 
palm-tree,  stately,  majestic,  permanent — like  trees 
planted  by  the  rivers  of  water,  which  bring  forth 
their  fruit  in  their  season,  and  whose  leaf  doth  not 


The  Fountain  of  Life.  145 

wither.  Thus  they  continue,  ripening  by  grace 
for  glory,  till  Christ  transplant  them  into  the  para- 
dise of  God.  Here,  therefore,  let  me  introduce 
the  last  remark  on  the  fitness  of  his  salvation. 

It  was  observed,  that  in  consequence  of  their 
guilt,  their  pollution,  their  distance  from  God,  and 
their  unfruitfulness,  sinners  are  hke  briers  and 
thorns,  whose  end  is  to  be  burned.  Dreadful  idea ! 
Wlw  can  dwell  with  devouring  flames  ?  Who  can 
dwell  with  everlasting  burnings  f  This  is  all  we 
can  expect  on  our  own  account,  yet  from  this 
tremendous  fate  the  salvation  of  Christ,  and  that 
alone,  can  deliver  us.  The  moment  we  draw  the 
breath  of  life,  the  curse  of  a  violated  law  seizes 
and  binds  us  with  chains  too  strong  for  the  might 
of  all  the  angels  in  heaven,  and  reserves  us  as 
criminals  for  the  day  of  slaughter.  But  our  great 
Redeemer  bursts  these  chains,  looses  this  iron 
grasp,  sets  the  captives  at  liberty,  and  puts  into 
their  mouths  a  song  of  triumph.  Faith  in  his 
precious  atonement  is  not  only  connected  with  the 
important  blessings  that  have  been  mentioned,  but 
secures  to  their  happy  possessors  an  unfaihng  title 
to  eternal  joy.  For  by  this  faith  we  have  our  fruit 
unto  holiness,  and  the  end  everlasting  life.  Christ 
cannot  disappoint  the  hope  of  them  who  trust  in 
him,  and  he  hath  said.  Whosoever  helieveth  on  me 
hath  everlasting  life,  and  I  will  raise  him  up  at  the 
last  day.      Who,  then,  shall  lay  anything  to  the 

VOL.  IV. — 10 


146  The  Fountain  of  Life. 

charge  of  God's  elect?  Shall  God  that  justifieth? 
Who  is  he  that  condemnetht  Is  it  Christ  that 
died?  Yea  rather  that  is  risen  again,  wlw  also 
sitteth  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  Reprobate  the 
suspicion,  and  be  persuaded,  that  neither  death  nor 
life,  nor  angels,  nor  irrincipalities,  nor  powers,  nor 
height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be 
able  to  separate  believers  from  the  love  of  God 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord. 

Adorable  salvation!  Who  would  not  wish  to 
partake  of  it?  Who  would  not  exult  in  the  faint- 
est dawn  of  hope  that  they  may  partake  of  it? 
"But  what  shall  we  give,  what  shall  we  do,  to 
purchase  an  interest  in  it  ?"  Give  !  Do  !  Mis- 
guided men  !  Nothing.  It  is  not  only  treasured 
up  in  Christ  Jesus — it  is  not  only  adapted  in  the 
most  glorious  fitness  to  all  your  wants,  but  in  the 

3d.  Place,  It  is  free,  absolutely  free.  And  bless 
God  that  it  is  so.  Did  it  require  anything  to  be 
merited  on  our  part,  we  might  bid  an  eternal  adieu 
to  heaven  and  happiness.  The  salvation  of  Christ 
cannot  be  deserved.  Infinitely  precious,  its  value 
surpasses  all  desert.  Everything  about  it  is  infinite. 
It  saves  from  infinite  guilt,  infinite  pollution,  infinite 
wrath,  and  infinite  wretchedness.  It  confers  on 
all  who  enjoy  it,  infinite  dignity  and  infinite  bliss. 
All  the  works  of  all  sinful  men,  from  the  beginning 
to  the  end  of  time,  could  not  merit  the  smallest  por- 
tion of  it,     The  best  services  of  the  unregenerate 


TJie  Fountain  of  Life.  147 

are  iniquity,  and  deserve  to  be  2^unished  with  ever- 
lasting destruction  from  the  presence  of  the  Lord, 
and  from  the  glory  of  his  poicer.  If  you  are  re- 
solved to  merit  at  the  hand  of  God,  you  shall  get, 
indeed,  what  you  merit;  but  it  will  be  in  hell. 
The  new  covenant  has  no  conditions  to  be  per- 
formed by  us.  These  were  fulfilled  by  Christ 
the  Mediator.  It  is,  therefore,  to  us  a  covenant 
of  grace.  But  if  you  think  that  you  must  merit 
something  to  put  you  in  possession  of  its  blessings, 
you  change  its  very  nature — you  transform  it  im- 
mediately into  a  covenant  of  works,  and  then,  as 
the  apostle  says,  grace  is  no  more  grace.  "  But 
must  we  not  repent  before  we  may  come  to  Christ  V 
No  !  you  can  never  repent  as  you  ought,  till  you 
be  interested  in  his  love,  and  influenced  by  his 
Spirit.  The  tears  of  true  repentance  flow  from 
tlie  eye  of  faith.  They  shall  look  on  me  whom 
they  have  pierced,  and  shall  mourn. 

"Are  we,  then,  to  be  furnished  with  no  qualifi- 
cations that  may  fit  us  for  receiving  the  gospel 
salvation?"  None  but  the  utter  want  of  every 
good  quality.  Christ  Jesus  came  not  to  call  the 
righteous ;  he  did  not  expect  to  find  men  so ;  he 
expected  to  find  them  altogether  filthy,  and  there- 
fore he  came  to  c?^  sinners  to  repentance.  Tell 
me,  ye  who  strive  to  wed  the  covenant  of  works 
with  the  grace  of  the  gospel,  if  a  man  were  lying, 
panting,  fainting,  dying  with  thirst,  so  feeble  that 


148  The  Fountain  of  Life. 

he  could  not  move  a  limb  to  help  himself,  and  if 
some  kind  friend  were  to  carry  him  to  a  pure  and 
wholesome  stream,  and  to  put  the  water  to  his  lips, 
would  he  merit  anything  by  drinking  it?  'T  is 
just  so,  brethren,  with  the  salvation  of  Christ. 
Unconnected  with  him  you  must  peri^bli !  And  you 
are  so  far  from  being  able  to  do  anything  to  merit 
an  interest  in  the  blessings  of  his  purchase,  that 
you  cannot  perform  a  single  action  which  will  be 
honored  with  the  approbation  of  God,  till  you  drink 
of  the  water  of  life,  and  your  souls  be  invigorated 
by  its  quickening  efficacy. 

These,  my  friends,  are  important  truths;  and  in 
bringing  them  by  a  close  application  home  to  your 
own  consciences,  the  first  question  that  occui*s  is, 
Have  you  drunk  of  these  living  waters  which  are 
in  Christ  Jesus  ?  Too  many  of  you,  I  fear,  if  they 
will  act  honestly,  must  reply,  that  till  this  hour 
they  have  never  tasted  them.  With  such  of  you, 
my  brethren,  I  have  some  weighty  business.  God 
sent  you  into  this  world  to  glorify  him :  and  as  you 
are  sinners,  he  requires  you  to  glorify  him  by  be- 
Heving  the  record  he  has  given  of  his  iSon,  and 
securing  your  happiness  by  thus  obeying'  his  will. 
Has  this  been  your  employment?  Far,  very  far 
from  it.  You  have  been  seeking  happiness,  in- 
deed, with  the  most  unw^earied  perseverance.  But 
have  you  found  it  ?  Your  conduct  declares  that 
you  have  not.     Why  else,  ye  young,   ye    giddy 


The  Fountain  of  Life.  149 

and  ye  gay,  why  this  perpetual  round  of  amuse- 
ment and  vanity  ?  Why  do  ye  run  from  one 
enjoyment  to  another,  and  studiously  avoid  con- 
versing with  yourselves  ?  iVhy  labor  to  outstrip, 
in  a  race  of  folly,  the  close  pursuit  of  a  vexing 
conscience  \  Why  endeavor  to  banish  from  your 
minds  every  settled  thought  about  an  eternal  world  ? 
Is  it  not  because  that  world  wears  a  gloomy  ap- 
pearance, because  all  beyond  the  grave  is  dreary 
and  cheerless  ?  Ye  young,  ye  giddy,  and  ye  gay, 
be  faithful  to  yourselves.  Lay  your  hands  upon 
your  hearts,  and  own  the  truth.  Have  you  not 
sometimes  felt  in  your  own  souls,  a  vacuum  which 
all  your  amusements  could  not  fill  ?  Has  it  not 
sometimes  happened,  even  in  your  most  heedless 
moments,  that  reflection,  an  unbidden  and  unwel- 
come guest,  has  stolen  into  your  bosoms,  and 
whispered  the  alarming  suggestion,  that  all  is  not 
right  ?  Is  it  not  this  which  makes  the  idea  of  God, 
eternity,  heaven,  and  hell,  to  trouble  you?  Is  it 
not  this  which  sheds  a  freezing  terror  through 
your  souls?  Or  are  you  sabenumbed  as  never  to 
be  conscious  of  such  emotions  ?  God  grant  that 
you  may  awaken  from  this  deadly  sleep  before  you 
open  your  eyes  in  that  place  of  torment  where  the 
Lord  hath  forgotten  to  be  gracious,  and  where  his 
tender  mercies  are  shut  up  in  his  wrath. 

And  you,  who,  more  advanced  in  years,  are  sick 
of  the  frolic  of  youth,  and  plunge  with  ardor  into 


150  The  Fountain  of  Life. 

the  busy  scenes  of  active  life,  has  happiness  taken 
up  her  abode  in  your  breasts  ?     If  strangers  to  the 
Redeemer,  you  cannot  say  so.     Why  else  strive  to 
join  house  to  house  and  field  to  field  ?     Why  form 
plan  after  plan,  and  scheme  after  scheme,  to  aug- 
ment your  wealth  and  honors  and  grandeur,  in  the 
hope  of  more  complete  and  contented  enjoyment  ? 
Why  be  so  dejected  at  the  failure  of  your  projects 
or  at  the  other  ills  of  life,  and  seek  in  the  gratifi- 
cation of  sense  rehef  from  the  gnawings  of  an 
anxious  mind  \      Your  acknowledgment  may  not 
correspond  with  the  language  of  the  fact,  but  the 
fact  speaks  truly,  and   declares   plainly  that  the 
acquisitions  of  manhood  are  as  unable  to   satisfy 
the  soul  as  the  trifles  of  early  days.     Do  not  pre- 
tend that  you  labor  only  for  future  days,  nor  flatter 
yourselves  with  the  expectation  of  spending  quietly 
and  peaceably  and  happily  the  evening  of  your 
age.     To  old  age  be  our  appeal.     Say,  hoary  sin- 
ner, who  hast   passed    through  youth  and   riper 
years,  and    approached    the  confines  of  eternity, 
where  is  thy  happine^  ?     The  turbulence  of  pas- 
sion may  have  subsided — the  vexations  of  active 
business  may  be  over — and  in  these  respects  you 
may  possess  a  tranquiUity.     But  if  the  turbulence 
of  passion  has  subsided,  if  the  vexations  of  active 
business  are  over,  the  capacity  of  enjoyment  is  also 
gone.      State,  then,  fairly,  both  sides  of  the  ques- 
tion, and  you  will  find  that  you  have  nothing  left. 


The  Fountain  of  Life.  151 

What  now  strengthens  the  feeble  knees  and  Ufts 
lip  the  hands  that  hang  down  ?  When  the  grass- 
hopper is  become  a  burden — when  the  shadows 
of  the  night  grow  large  and  long — when  the 
sprightliness  of  youth  has  vanished  and  the  vigor 
of  manhood  failed — when  the  king  of  terrors  lifts 
his  unerring  arm  and  threatens  to  strike  the  blow 
which  will  shatter  to  atoms  thy  clay  tabernacle, 
and  hurry  its  lingering  inhabitant  to  the  tribunal 
of  God — what  revives  the  fainting  spirit?  The 
streams  of  earthly  consolation  are  already  dried  up, 
and  wilt  thou  yet  hug  to  thy  bosom,  with  unavail- 
ing fondness,  the  wretched  remnants  of  its  fleeting 
joy  ?  "  O  more  than  sottish  !"  Be  persuaded,  all 
of  you  who  are  unacquainted  with  the  gospel,  to 
abandon  the  hope  of  finding  happiness  in  created 
comforts.  You  are  perpetually  disappointed,  and 
yet  continue  to  deceive  yourselves  by  imagining 
that  if  you  miss  your  object  here,  you  will  meet  it 
yonder.  But  when  you  arrive  at  the  longed-for 
spot,  the  airy  phantom  eludes  your  embrace  and 
mocks  your  hope.  But  do  not  blame  the  creature, 
nor  think  I  mean  to  blame  it.  The  creature  is 
your  friend.  The  creature  bears  a  testimony  for 
God.  Eternal  truth  has  told  you,  that  nothing  be- 
low can  be  a  suitable  portion  for  the  immortal  soul ; 
and  that  when  you  betake  yourselves  to  the  crea- 
ture in  this  view,  you  flee  to  a  refuge  of  lies.  All 
the  creatures  re-echo  the  important  monition,  and 


152  Tlie  Fountain  of  Life. 

loudly  cry,  It  is  not  in  us !  Quit  then,  quit  imme- 
diately these  hrolien  cisterns,  ivhich  can  hold  no 
\catcr.  Haste  with  the  speed  of  men  who  know 
that  eternal  glory  is  the  depending  stake — haste  to 
Jesus,  the  Fountain  of  living  waters.  Here  taste 
and  see  that  the  Lord  is  good. 

Ye  young,  ye  giddy,  and  ye  gay,  listen  to  the 
voice  of  the  great  Redeemer,  who  tenderly  invites 
you  to  the  heavenly  draught.  The  water  which 
He  gives  will  effectually  quench  that  fearful  thirst 
which  must  afflict  you  whilst  you  are  unacquainted 
with  his  grace.  It  will  abundantly  repay  every 
sacrifice  he  requires  you  to  make  ;  for  it  will  be  in 
you  a  loell  of  water  springing  up  to  everlasting  life, 
and  he  requires  you  to  renounce  nothing  but  what 
is  really  your  misery  and  will  prove  your  ruin. 
Not  only  the  word  of  God  asserts,  the  experience 
of  ages  also  demonstrates,  that  Wisdom's  icays  are 
ivays  of  pleasantness,  and  all  her  paths  peace.  Ask 
the  Christian  and  he  will  inform  you,  that,  let  the 
devil  and  the  world  and  the  corrupt  heart  say  what 
they  will,  there  is  beyond  all  controversy  yeace  and 
joy  in  helieving. 

Let  those  who  are  in  middle  age  reflect  st*riously 
on  the  indispensable  necessity  and  inestimable 
value  of  this  water  of  life.-  My  friends,  you  must 
drink  or  you  must  perish,  and  the  salvation  of 
Christ  Jesus  will  not  onl}'  secure  your  own  souls, 
but  will  extend  its  divhie  influence  to  everv  cir- 


The  Fountain  of  Life.  153 

cumstance  and  every  relation.  Are  you  blest  with 
comforts?  This  is  the  embalmer  of  joy.  Are  you 
harassed  with  anxious  sohcitude  ?  This  is  the 
sweetener  of  care.  Are  you  visited  with  trials  ? 
This  is  the  cordial  of  affliction.  Is  the  favor  of 
God  the  truest  dignity  and  only  bliss  of  man  \ 
This  will  wash  you  from  all  your  pollution  and 
render  you  fair  in  his  sight.  O  shut  not  your  eyes 
upon  your  own  mercies  !  Now  is  the  accepted  time^ 
now  is  the  day  of  salvation.  To-day  if  ye  ivill  hear 
his  voice,  harden  not  your  hearts. 

Are  there  here  any  old  persons  who  have  never 
embraced  the  glorious  Saviour?  My  brethren, 
your  guilt  is  great,  and  as  your  glass  is  almost  run, 
your  day  of  grace  cannot  be  long.  Yet  even  you, 
who  arc  at  the  eleventh  hour,  are  en^^eated  to 
come  and  drink  of  the  water  of  life.  You  have 
much  reason  to  be  terribly  alarmed,  but  none  to 
despair.  The  rich  warrant  proclaims,  whosoever 
will,  let  him  come.  Start  from  your  stupid  leth- 
argy and  flee  at  this  critical  moment  to  the  Saviour 
of  souls.  He  can  save  even  you,  for  his  grace  is 
sovereign,  and  it  is  almighty.  If  you  cast  your- 
selves upon  it,  all  shall  yet  be  well.  You  are  come 
near  to  that  dread  valley,  where  burning  sands 
swallow  up  the  shallow  rivulets  of  earthly  comfort 
But  the  streams  that  flow  from  our  Rock,  Christ, 
will  follow  you  through  these  sands — will  accom- 
pany you  into  the  dark  and  dreary  vale  of  the 


154  The  Fountain  of  Life. 

shadow  of  death — will  support,  and  strengthen, 
and  cheer  your  spirits,  till  you  arrive  in  safety  and 
triumph  at  the  celestial  Canaan. 

Is  any  one  saying  in  the  bitterness  of  his  soul, 
"  Oh  that  I  could  obtain  a  draught  of  this  divine, 
this  living  water !  I  see,  I  feel,  that  all  the  crea- 
tures, though  well  suited  to  answer  the  end  for 
which  they  were  given,  are  too  gross  in  their  na- 
ture, too  limited  in  their  extent,  and  too  short  in 
their  duration,  to  satisfy  my  vast  desires.  I  see 
that  sin  has  ruined  me,  that  I  cannot  help  myself, 
and  that  without  Christ  I  am  lost  forever.  O  that 
he  would  visit  me  with  his  mercy!"  Are  these 
your  views,  your  fears,  your  wishes?  Then  to 
you,  in  a  pecuHar  manner,  is  the  word  of  this  sal- 
vation sent.  If  Christ  has  made  you  sick  of  sin, 
it  is  thcffnost  pleasing  symptom  that  he  has  begun 
to  draw  you  to  himself;  and  you  may  soon  find,  to 
your  unspeakable  joy,  that  he  has  drawn  you  much 
farther  than  you  can  now  believe.  It  is  the  sweet 
pledge  that  he  will  send  his  word  and  heal  you, 
that  he  will  set  you  in  a  large  place,  and  enable 
you  to  shout  the  praises  of  your  redeeming  God. 
Be  not  discouraged  by  your  weakness,  for  a 
bruised  reed  he  loill  not  break,  and  smoking  flax  he 
will  not  quench,  till  he  send  forth  judgment  unto 
victory.  Let  not  your  guilt  terrify  you,  for  though 
your  sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  ivhite  as  snoio; 


*  The  Fountain  of  Life.  155 

though  they  he  red  like  crimson,  they  shall  he  as 
wool.     Think  not  the  stain  of  your  filthiness  too 
deep  to   be   washed  out,   for  the   Mood  of  Jesus 
cleanseth  from  all  sin.      Fear  not,  only  helieve. 
Throw  yourself  upon   his  sovereignty,    lay    hold 
upon  his  promise,  Him  that  cometh  to  me,  I  ivill  in 
no  wise  cast  out.     Say  not, "  I  would,  but  cannot, 
hold  fost  of  the  promise."     Your  own  abiUty  is  out 
of  the  question.     You  are  not  to  consider  what 
you  can  do,  but  what  Christ  can  do.     None  em- 
brace the  gospel  offer  but  they  whom  he  enables 
to  do  it;  and  whenever  a  poor  sinner  stretches  out 
his  frail  trembUng  hand  towards  the  free  promise, 
Christ  incloses  it  in  his  own  hand,  and  clasps  it 
round  the  promise  in  so  firm  a  grasp,  that  neither 
earth  nor  death  nor  hell  can  ever  loose  it.      Trust, 
then,  in  the  Lord  forever,  for  in  this  Lord  Jehovah 
there  is  everlasting  strength;  and  they  who  helieve 
on  him  shall  never  he  confounded. 

Finally.  Let  all  the  disciples  of  Jesus,  who  have 
been  drinking  at  the  fountain  of  living  waters,  be 
careful  not  to  undervalue  their  privilege,  nor  to 
throw  contempt  upon  its  adorable  Author.  Chris- 
tians, have  you,  as  the  children  of  God,  free  access 
to  the  pure  streams  of  uncreated  bliss;  and  will 
you  so  injure  your  own  souls,  and  dishonor  your 
Redeemer,  as  to  grovel  in  the  polluted  and  poison- 
ous waters  of  sinful  pleasure  \     Shrink  with  hor- 


156  Tlie  Fountain  of  Life. 

ror  from  the  idea !     Have  you,  as  the  children  of 
God,  free  access  to  all  the  fulness  which  is  trea- 
sured up  in  Christ  Jesus,  and  will  you  ever  be  at  a 
loss  where  to  apply  for  the  relief  of  your  wants  ? 
Let  it  be  your  study  to  improve  this  unspeakable 
gift  of  God.     His  nature,  his  attributes,  his  names, 
his   covenant,  his  promises,  his  ordinances,  are  to 
his  people   so  many  wells  of  salvation,  and  their 
fSlth  is  never  rightly  employed,  but  in  drawing 
water  from  them.     The  graces  of  the  divine  Spirit 
cannot    divinely    grow    unless  they   be    divinely 
cherished.    The  new  creature  is  of  heavenly  birth, 
and  must  be  nourished  with  heavenly  food.     As 
well  might  you  expect  that  an  infant  should  ad- 
vance to  youth,  to  manhood,  to  age,  without  con- 
tinual   supplies    of  provision,  as    that  you   should 
grow  from  babes,  to  men  and  fathers  in   Christ, 
without  the  perpetual  aids  of  his  Spirit  and  grace. 
Why   do  Christians   become  languid    and  faint' 
Wliy  do  they  yield  to  temptation  ?    Why  are  they 
vanquished  by  indwelling  sin  ?     It  is  because  they 
so  unfrequently  visit  the  fountain  of  living  waters. 
Let  us  learn,  my  brethren,   to  live  not  so  much 
upon  what  we  have  received,  as  upon  what  Christ 
has  to  give.     Be  strong,  says  the  apostle,  not  in 
the  grace  w^liich  is  in  yourselves,  but  in  the  grace 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus.     Relying  upon  his  all- 
sufficiency,  we  shall  find  that  they  who  wait  on  the 


The  Fountain  of  Life.  157 

Lo?'d,  and  they  only,  shall  renew  their  strength ; 
they  shall  mount  up  loith  wings  as  eagles;  they 
shall  run,  and  not  he  weary ;  they  shall  walk  and 
not  faint. 


THE  GOSPEL   OFFER, 


SERMON    X. 


THE    GOSPEL    OFFER. 

JOHN   VI.  37. 

Him  that  cometh  to  me,  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out. 

These  words  are  part  of  a  most  interesting  dis- 
course which  our  Lord  addressed  to  a  number  of 
his  hearers,  whom,  shortly  before,  he  had  miracu- 
lously fed.  Highly  delighted  with  such  an  abun- 
dant, cheap,  and  seasonable  supply,  when  they 
were  worn  out  with  fatigue,  and  fainting  through 
hunger,  and  hoping,  it  seems,  to  be  again  feasted, 
by  the  repetition  of  the  miracle,  they  soon  renewed 
their  visit  to  the  Saviour,  The  Lord  Jesus  imme- 
diately saw,  (for  how  could  Omniscience  not  see?) 
the  baseness  of  the  principle  by  which  they  were 

VOL.  IV.       11 


162  The   Gospel  Offer. 

actuated.  Ye  seek  me,  said  he,  not  because  ye  saic 
the  miracles,  hut  because  ye  did  eat  of  the  loaves  and 
were  filled.  Not  because  your  souls  were  lost  in 
astonishment  at  the  power,  and  your  hearts  melted 
with  the  love,  of  God,  displayed  in  my  ministra- 
tion, but  because  your  animal  senses  were  gratified. 
My  brethren,  would  to  God  there  were  not  ground 
to  fear  that  many  who  now  profess  the  name  of 
Christ,  are  governed  by  no  better  motives. 

The  Redeemer,  however,  who  lost  no  opportu- 
nity of  doing  good,  did  not  neglect  to  improve  the 
present  occasion.  After  discovering  to  these  peo- 
ple his  profound  knowledge  of  their  hearts,  he 
leads  their  views  from  temporal  to  eternal  things ; 
from  anxiety  about  their  bodies,  to  concern  for 
their  souls.  Under  the  metaphor  of  bread,  he 
opens  up  his  mediatorial  character  and  office,  illus- 
trates the  spiritual  nature  of  his  salvation,  and 
strongly  inculcates  their  absolute  need  of  it.  The 
farther  he  advances  in  his  important  instructions, 
the  closer  he  brings  his  doctrine  to  their  con- 
sciences. Having  pointedly  charged  them  with 
unbelief,  that  he  might  at  once  alarm  their  fears, 
and  humble  their  pride,  he  solemnly  tells  ihem,  All 
that  the  Father  glveth  me  shall  come  to  me ;  and 
to  encourage  their  hopes,  he  adds.  Him  that  cometh 
to  me,  I  will  in  no  ivise  cast  out.  Can  tongue  ex- 
press, can  heart  conceive,  the  glory,  the  riches,  of 
this  precious  promise  ?     On  this  promise,   many 


The  Gosiiel  Offer.  163 

who  are  now  singing  the  song  of  Moses  and  the 
Lamb,  once  hung  their  fointiiig  spirits,  and  it  car- 
ried them  safely  through  guilt,  through  temptation, 
through  death.  Is  its  freedom  restrained  ?  or  its 
grace  diminished  ?  or  the  power  of  the  Promiser 
abridged  \  No.  It  is  made  by  the  same  Saviour, 
to  the  same  kind  of  sinners,  and  conveys  the  same 
invaluable  blessings.  It  holds  up  to  the  most 
daring  offender,  who  will  avail  himself  of  the  offer, 
a  free,  a  full,  an  irrevocable  pardon.  It  infolds  in 
its  spacious  bosom  all  the  benefits  of  the  everlast- 
ing covenant — all  that  man  can  receive,  or  God 
bestow.  Can  any  human  heart  remain  insensible 
to  such  wondrous  condescension  ?  Can  you  hear 
with  indifference,  that  Jesus,  the  Prince  of  life,  the 
Lord  of  glory,  stoops  so  low  as  to  present  such 
sweet  invitations  to  the  chief  of  sinners  ?  O  that 
He  who  has  the  key  of  David,  luho  openeth  and  no 
man  shutteth,  and  shutteth  and  no  man  openeth, 
would  send  forth  his  light  upon  those  truths  which 
will  demand  your  attention,  while  we  inquire  what 
is  meant  by  coming  to  Christ,  and  endeavor  to  un- 
fold the  annexed  promise. 

I.  We  are  to  inquire  what  is  meant  by  coming 
to  Christ. 

To  come  to  Christ  is,  in  general,  to  believe  in 
hhn  ;  and  to  believe  in  him  is  to  "  receive  and  rest 
upon  him  alone  for  salvation  as  he  is  offered  in  the 
gospel." 


164  The  Gospel  Offer. 

This  coming  to  Christ  supposes  several  things. 

1.  That  we  are  by  nature  strangers  from  God, 
and  feel  the  misery  of  our  destiny.  While  our  first 
parents  continued  in  their  integrity,  they  were 
honored  with  free  access  to  their  Creator  ;  but  the 
breach  of  their  fidelity  ruined  this  divine  privilege, 
and  produced  in  their  minds  an  alienation  from 
their  God.  His  righteous  judgment  made  their 
choice  their  punishment,  prohibiting  them  from 
that  intercourse  with  himself  which  they  labored 
to  shun ;  and  the  flaming  sword  of  the  cherubim, 
and  what  is  more  terrible,  the  decree  of  justice, 
barred  up  forever  all  approach  to  Jehovah  by  the 
old  covenant.  That  this  is  our  forlorn  condition, 
and  that  there  is  no  possibility  of  approach  to  God 
acceptably  but  by  the  new  and  living  way  which 
the  Redeemer  has  opened,  the  very  nature  of  his 
mission  and  his  earnest  invitation  declare.  Ap- 
proaching to  God  by  Jesus  Christ  supposes  that  we 
feel  our  distance  from  him,  and  farther,  that  we 
feel  the  misery  of  our  estrangement.  I  need  not 
tell  you  that  when  Adam  fell  he  lost  not  only  his 
dignity  but  his  happiness.  His  mind,  which  was 
filled  with  light,  serenity,  innocence,  bliss  and  joy, 
became  the  a])ode  of  darkness,  inquietude,  guilt, 
wretchedness  and  sorrow.  He  has  transmitted  to 
ns  the  doleful  inheritance.  Offenders  in  our  offend- 
ing parent,  we  are  hi/  nature  children  of  wrath 
Bv  losino;  the   favor  of  God   we   lost  our  all;   we 


The  Gosjiel  Offer.  165 

were  degraded  from  his  children  and  friends  into 
the  children  and  drudges  of  the  devil.  The  tem- 
ple of  the  Lord  of  hosts  is  converted  into  a  den  of 
thieves.  A  crowd  of  fiends,  attended  by  every  vile 
and  hateful  affection,  has  entered  the  soul  of  man. 
Enmity  against  God  headed  the  gang,  and  the 
standard  of  rebelUon  is  erected  in  that  very  spot 
which  was  once  the  palace  of  the  King  of  kings. 
Can  such  a  state  be  happy  ?  Can  it  possibly  not 
be  miserable  ?  God  is  the  pure  and  only  source  of 
blessedness,  and  wo  and  death  are  as  invariably 
the  effects  of  distance  from  him,  as  darkness  and 
cold,  of  distance  from  the  sun.  But  a  considerable 
part  of  man's  misery  is,  that  his  apostasy  has 
blinded  his  eyes  and  deadened  his  sensibihty.  He 
sees  not  that  sin  has  robbed  him  of  his  beauty  in 
defacing  the  image  of  his  God.  He  sees  not  thai 
sin  has  obliterated  his  fair  tide  to  eternal  life.  He 
feels  not  that  sin,  hke  a  venomous  reptile,  is  gnaw- 
ing his  vitals  and  infusing  a  mortal  poison.  These 
things,  however,  he  must  know,  or  he  will  not,  he 
cannot,  come  to  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  hjs  office  to 
save  'sinners,  and  to  save  fro7n  sin.  But  surely 
they  who  discern  neither  danger  in  the  state  nor 
deformity  in  the  character  of  a  sinner,  and  who 
roll  sin  itself  "  as  a  sweet  morsel  under  their 
tongues,"  will  not,  while  under  the  influence  of 
such  views,  think  the  gospel  salvation  any  favor. 
Nobody,  who  is  not  conscious  of  a  disease,  will 


166  The  Gospel  Offer. 

thank  yon  for  a  remedy.  It  is,  therefore,  the  first 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  convince  of  sin.  In 
this  work  he  rouses  the  conscience  from  its  torpi- 
tude — he  quickens  the  soul  into  life — he  opens  the 
eyes  that  were  shut  in  spiritual  death — he  unmasks 
the  sinner  to  himself — but  ah  !  how  great  the 
alteration !  Like  a  palsied  limb  which  on  the  re- 
covery of  health  feels  the  acutest  pangs  shoot 
through  every  nerve,  the  sinner  now  fuids  himself 
inconceivably  wretched.  He  finds  himself  under 
the  curse  of  a  broken  covenant,  and  therefore  ex- 
posed to  the  vengeance  of  an  angry  God,  exposed 
to  the  horrors  of  everlasting  ruin.  As  the  human 
mind  is  engaged  in  a  perpetual  search  after  happi- 
ness, the  first  question  on  such  a  discovery  will  be, 
how  shall  I  escape  the  destruction  which  threat- 
ens me  ?  It  is  more  than  probable  that,  unac- 
quainted as  yet  with  the  wiles  of  Satan  and  the 
deceitfulness  of  his  own  heart,  a  person  in  this  con- 
dition will  betake  himself  to  the  law,  which  in  its 
original  form  said,  Do  and  live,  and  try  to  help 
himself  by  his  good  ivorks.  He  will  form  resolu- 
tions of  amendment,  and  fondly  hope  to  atone  for 
the  folly  and  guilt  of  his  past  by  the  wisdom  and 
sanctity  of  his  future  conduct.  But  if  the  Lord 
intend  to  be  gracious  to  him,  he  will  not  be  allowed 
to  trust  in  that  refuge  of  lies.  The  Holy  Spirit 
will  show  him  that  if  he  stop  there,  he  is  undone 


The  Gospel  Offer.  167 

forever ;  and  therefore  coming  to  Jesus  Christ 
supposes, 

2.  A  sense  of  our  utter  inabiUty  to  assist  our- 
selves. 

Under  the  divine  instruction  men  learn  won- 
derful lessons.  The  sinner  had  been  convinced 
that  he  was  guilty,,  he  is  now  carried  a  step  far- 
ther, and  sees  that  he  is  filthy.  His  eyes  are 
turned  inwards  upon  his  heart,  and  he  is  made 
acquainted  with  facts  of  which  he  had  not  the 
least  suspicion,  when  he  was  told  by  the  divine 
word,  he  would  not  believe  what  is  proved  to  be 
too  true,  that  he  is  all  as  an  unclean  thing — that 
his  very  righteousness,  as  he  had  simply  imagined 
them,  are  as  filthy  rags — that  his  heart  is  a  nest  of 
abominations,  a  cage  of  unclean  and  hateful  birds. 
His  loathsomeness  in  his  own  sight  and  in  the 
sight  of  a  holy  God,  who  is  of  purer  eyes  than  to 
behold  iniquity,  added  to  his  danger,  renders  him 
doubly  miserable.  He  gets  a  glimpse  of  the  infi- 
nite evil  of  sin.  He  is  sensible  that  nothing  short 
of  a  spotless  obedience  to  the  divine  law  will  be 
accepted  by  the  Lawgiver.  He  is  sensible,  too, 
that  a  satisfaction  must  be  made  for  the  innumera- 
ble instances  in  which  he  has  violated  its  precepts. 
What  can  he  do  \  Were  he  to  obey  perfectly 
hereafter,  all  his  obedience  is  didebt.  There  is  no 
surplus  to  satisty  for  past  offences.  But  instead  of 
giving  perfect  obedience,  he  is  incapable  of  per- 


168  The   Gospel  Offer. 

forming  one  acceptable  action.  Sin  is  so  mingled 
with  all  he  does,  that  his  best  deeds,  the  incense  of 
his  purest  offerings,  are  a  smoke  in  JeliovaKs  nos- 
trils. And  to  put  the  finishing  stroke  to  his  self- 
confidence,  he  is  obliged  to  subscribe  the  humili- 
ating doctrine  which  tells  him,  that  the  broken  law 
spreads  its  broad  curse  over  his  very  righteousness. 
In  the  anguish  which  these  views  must  excite,  no 
wonder  that  he  despairs  of  helping  himself — no 
wonder  that  he  is  troubled  and  terrified  with  the 
apprehension  of  a  God  absolute  and  unreconciled. 
He  can  enter  into  the  spirit  of  that  passionate  ex- 
clamation. What  shall  I  do  to  he  saved?  The 
business,  however,  is  not  finished.  The  Lord 
is  tearing  him  from  the  old  root,  but  has  not  yet 
ingrafted  him  into  Christ  the  living  Vine.  He  has 
hitherto  looked  only  at  the  high  demands  of  God's 
law,  and  his  own  unworthiness,  weakness,  and 
vileness;  but  he  has  not  looked  at  the  blessed 
Mediator.  Coming  to  Jesus  Christ  supposes  then, 
3.  A  view  of  him  as  that  very  Saviour  whom 
we  need.  When  the  soul  is  sinking  under  the 
weight  of  guilt,  and  every  moment  fears  that  the 
black  cloud  of  divine  wrath  will  burst  over  his 
devoted  head,  how  reviving,  how  transporting  the 
thought,  that  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  cleanseth 
from  all  sin!  This  precious  truth,  my  brethren, 
is  the  only  thing  which  can  revive  the  dying  hope 
of  a  convinced   sinner.      A   Saviour!     Delightful 


The  Gospel  Offer.  169 

sound  !  A  Saviour  who  has  made  an  atonement 
for  sinners !  May  I  depend  upon  this  heavenly 
information  ?  Yes,  for  his  Mood  cleanseth  from 
ALL  sin.  What !  from  all  sin  ?  Will  it  cleanse 
from  my  sin  ?  It  will.  In  the  mingled  emotions 
of  wonder  and  joy,  a  sinner  cannot  but  long  to  be 
better  acquainted  with  this  celestial  Friend.  He 
opens  the  volume  of  inspiration,  and  there  he  ob- 
tains all  the  intelligence  he  can  wish.  He  is  told 
that  in  the  glorious  Redeemer  there  is  a  fulness  to 
reheve  every  want.  Does  he  find  himself  de- 
barred by  the  flammg  sword  of  justice  from  ap- 
proaching to  God  by  the  old  covenant  ?  He  is 
told  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  new  and  living  Way 
to  the  Father.  Does  he  need  a  justifying  righte- 
ousness X  He  is  told  that  Jesus  Christ  has  brought 
in  an  everlasting  righteousness.  Nay,  that  he  is 
himself  the  Lord  our  Righteousness.  Does  he 
need  strength  ?  He  is  told  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
tne  Lord  our  Strength  also.  Does  he  need  to  be 
purified  from  his  pollution  ?  He  is  told  that  by 
pleading  the  merits  of  Jesus  Christ  he  may  expect 
the  accomplishment  of  that  gracious  promise,  7 tf^eY^ 
sprinkle  clean  icater  upon  you,  and  you  shall  he 
clean  ;  from  all  your  filthiness  and  from  all  your 
idols  will  I  cleanse  you.  Oh !  my  brethren,  how 
does  a  sight  of  glorious  Christ  tarnish  all  other 
glory !  It  sickens  a  man  to  the  covenant  of  works 
— it  makes  him  say  of  the  covenant  of  grace,  of 


170  The   Gospel  Offer. 

which  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Surety  and  the  Head, 
It  is  well-ordered  in  all  things  and  sure ;  it  is  all 
my  salvation  and  all  my  desire.  But  as  a  bare 
sense  of  the  suitableness  of  the  Mediator  is  dif- 
ferent from  surrendering  ourselves  up  to  him, 
coming  to  Jesus  Christ  is, 

In  the  last  place,  the  rolling  of  our  guilty  souls, 
with  all  their  vileness  and  all  their  unworthiness, 
upon  his  rich  sovereign  grace. 

When  a  man,  into  whose  mind  God  hath  shined 
so  as  to  give  him  an  insight  into  the  great  things 
of  which  we  have  been  discoursing,  looks  at  him- 
self and  sees  nothing  but  death   there — when  he 
looks  at  the  law  and  sees  nothing  but  death  there 
— when  he  looks  at  the  creature,  and  sees  nothing 
but  emptiness  and  barrenness  and  death  there — 
when  he  looks  at  Jesus  Christ  and  sees  in  him 
light,  and  life,  and   grace,  and   all  the  fulness  of 
Deity,  he  cannot  but  say,  in  the  prospect  of  going 
away  from  Christ,  Lord,  to  whom  shall  I  go?  thou 
hast  the  words  of  eternal  life.     He  reasons  as  the 
lepers  of  old,  "  If  I  sit  here,  I  die  ;  if  I  go  back,  I 
shall  die  ;  if  I  push  forward  and  make  an  experi- 
ment of  his  grace,  I  can  but  die."      These  exer- 
cises are    the    suggestions   of  the  blessed   Spirit. 
They  terminate  upon  a  whole  Christ,  upon  Christ 
in  all  his  offices.     Witb  these  exercises,  and  with 
the  everlasting  arms   underneath  him.,  the    sinner 
casts  himself  down  at  the  feet  of  Jesus.     Happy, 


The  Gospel  Offer.  171 

thrice  happy  they,  whose  souls  are  exalted  into 
such  humihty — who  willingly  lay  their  honors  in 
the  dust,  and  set  the  crown  upon  the  Redeemer's 
head.  Nor  is  this  the  characteristic  of  a  few  ;  it  is 
the  common  temper  of  all  God's  children — a  tem- 
per which  you  must  have,  if  you  ever  see  his  face 
in  peace. 

To  prevent  poor  sinners  from  thus  coming  to 
the  Saviour,  Satan  leaves  nothing  unattempted. 
When  he  cannot  lull  them  any  longer  in  a  state 
of  security,  he  commonly  endeavors  to  persuade 
them  that  they  have  sinned  away  their  day  of 
grace,  and  that  Christ  will  not  receive  them. 
But  he  ivas  a  liar  from  the  beginning.  Fear  not, 
trembling  soul;  impudent  as  he  is,  you  may  stop 
his  mouth.  He  cannot,  blessed  be  God,  he  cannot 
erase  from  your  Bibles  the  gracious  declaration  of 
the  text,  Him  that  cometh  to  me  I  will  in  no  wise 
cast  out.     The  unfolding  of  this  promise  is  the 

II.  Topic  to  which  your  attention  was  invited. 

Him  that  cometh  to  me  I  loill  in  no  tcise  cast  out, 
i.  e.  I  will  undoubtedly  receive  him.  I  will  not 
cast  him  from  me  noic — whatever  has  been  his 
past  character — whatever  the  aggravations  of  his 
guilt — whatever  are  his  present  fears — whatever 
the  temptations  of  Satan,  I  invite  him  to  the 
arms  of  my  love ;  I  promise  him  a  welcome  re- 
ception. 

This  however  is  not  all.     Jesus  will  not  only 


172  The  Gospel  Offer. 

admit  jou  into  his  favor  noiv,  but  he  will  not  cast 
you  out  of  it  hereafter.  Those  whom  he  once 
loves  he  loves  to  the  end.  He  gives  to  all  his  peo- 
ple eternal  life,  and  they  shall  never  loerish — no 
future  backslidings,  no  provocations,  will  induce 
him  to  forsake  them  utterly.  If  they  hi-eak  his 
statutes,  and  keep  not  his  commandments,  then  ivill 
he  indeed  visit  their  transgressions  luith  the  rod  and 
their  iniquity  with  stripes.  If,  like  refractory 
children,  they  attempt  to  run  from  home,  he  will 
scourge  them  back  to  their  Father's  house  ;  but  he 
administers  his  corrections  with  a  parent's  hand; 
he  intends  to  teach  them  how  bitter  sin  is — to 
make  them  live  more  by  faith,  and  nearer  himself 
His  chastisements  are  no  proof  that  they  have  lost 
the  privilege  of  their  adoption,  for  nevertheless, 
says  he,  my  loving  kindness  will  I  not  utterly  take 
from  him,  nor  suffer  my  faithfulness  to  fail.  And 
why  not  ?  Because  of  their  good  behavior  \  That 
would  be  a  dreary  doctrine.  Far  otherwise.  My 
covenant,  he  adds,  ivill  I  not  break,  nor  alter  the 
thing  that  is  gone  out  of  My  lips.  (Ps.  Ixxxix.  31, 
34.)  And  a  clause  of  this  covenant  is,  I  will  put 
my  fear  in  their  hearts,  that  they  shall  nst  depart 
from  me.  (Jer.  xxxii.  40.)  Therefore  there  is  no 
condemnation  to  them  who  are  in  Christ  Jesus.  As 
a  consequence,  it  follows  that  those  who  come  to 
Christ  he  will  not  cast  out  of  his  kingdom  of  glory. 
The  connection  between   faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus 


The  Gosiwl  Offer.  173 

and  eternal  life  is  as  infallible  as  God  can  make 
it;  we  can  no  more  disjoin  them  than  we  can 
separate  truth  from  the  divine  nature.  And  this  is 
a  principle  so  clearly  revealed  in  your  Bibles,  that 
it  would  be  needless  to  attempt  its  proof. 

Pause  then  a  moment,  and  ask  yoursch  es  what 
an  immortal  being  can  wish  that  the  Redeemer 
does  not  promise  in  the  text  ?  Say,  is  it  not  your 
wisdom,  is  it  not  your  honor,  is  it  not  your  happi- 
ness, to  surrender  your  hearts  and  devote  your 
lives  to  this  heavenly  Suitor  ?  What  greater  wis- 
dom than  to  secure  that  good  part  which  shall  not 
be  taken  from  you  \  So  that,  happen  what  will, 
all  shall  be  well  with  you.  What  honor  should  be 
so  ardently  courlfcd  as  that  of  becoming  the  sons 
of  God  ? — of  shining  in  the  robes  of  imputed 
righteousness? — of  wearing  through  eternity  a 
crown  of  glory  X  '  What  happiness  like  that  which 
lies  in  Jehovah's  favor?  for  it  is  life,  and  his  loving 
kindness  is  better  than  life. 

"Precious  blessings!  but  we  dare  not  contem- 
plate them  only  at  a  distance.  We  have  so  often 
turned  our  backs  upon  them  and  their  adorable 
Author,  that  we  fear  there  is  no  hope  for  us,"  may 
perhaps  be  the  language  of  some  present.  Why, 
my  friends,  why  indulge  such  a  fear  ?  You  have 
all  the  encouragement  imaginable  to  believe  that 
he  will  freely  pardon  even  youi-  transgressions,  and 
adopt  you  into  his  family. 


IL74  The  Gospel  Offer. 

« 
For,  in  the  first  place  :  The  salvation  of  sinners 

is  the  object  and  the  business  of  his  mediation.  The 
Son  of  man  is  coine  to  seek  and  save  that  which  was 
lost.  For  this  very  purpose  he  was  set  up  from 
everlasting  and  commissioned  into  our  world;  nay, 
it  is  so  peculiarly  his  office  that  he  recci''.  ed  his  name 
from  it.  Thou  shalt  call  his  name  Jesus,  because  he 
shall  save  his  peoiile  from  their  sins.  Who  are 
his  people?  Certainly  they  to  whom  he  gives 
power  to  become  the  sons  of  God.  And  who  are 
these  ?  As  many  as  believe  on  his  name.  Stretch 
forth,  then,  the  withered  arm  ;  endeavor  to  lay 
hold  on  his  covenant;  let  your  hope  lift  up  her 
languishing  head;  for  the  Redeemer  is  never 
employed  in  work  more  suitable  to  his  character 
than  when  he  confers  on  such  as  you  the*blessings 
of  his  grace.  You  have,  therefore,  nothing  less  to 
animate  your  souls  than  the  express  design  of  the 
scheme  of  salvation,  and  all  the  perfections  of  God, 
which  are  pledged  for  the  security  of  those  who 
embrace  it. 

2.  As  it  is  the  business,  so  it  is  the  delight  of 
the  Lord  Christ,  to  save  even  the  chief  of  sinners. 
It  was  in  the  prospect  of  this  blessed  work,  that 
when  the  council  of  peace  was  held  in  eternity,  he 
rejoiced  in  the  habitable  parts  of  the  earth,  and  his 
delights  were  ivith  the  sons  of  men.  The  conver- 
sion of  a  sinner  produces  great  joy  in  heaven,  and 
tlie  first  smile  brightens  on  the  countenance  of  the 


The  Gospel  Offer.  175 

Son  of  God.  This  heavenly  personage,  this  incar- 
nate God,  is  never  so  much  grieved,  nor  considers 
himself  treated  with  so  much  indignity,  as  when 
sinners  refuse  the  offers  of  his  love.  If  they  will 
not  listen  to  his  expostulations,  he  leaves  them 
with  regret.  How  shall  I  give  thee  up,  E^jhraim? 
Hoiv  shall  I  deliver  thee,  Israel  ?  Hoiu  shall  I  make 
thee  as  Admah  ?  How  shall  I  set  thee  as  Zehoim? 
Mine  heart  is  turned  within  me ;  my  repentings 
are  kindled  together.     (Hos.  xi.  8.) 

The  Lord  Jesus  is  well  pleased  to  be  employed 
by  sinners  in  transacting  their  eternal  interests.  Be 
persuaded  to  put  your  souls,  and  all  their  concerns 
into  his  hand.  You  cannot  commit  them  to  a  bet- 
ter, nor  a  more  faithful  agent.  You  cannot  find 
a  more  powerful  friend,  nor  a  more  effectual 
pleader.  He  is  minister  plenipotentiary  in  the 
court  of  heaven  ;  and  they  whose  cause  he  under- 
takes, shall  undoubtedly  succeed.  Rob  not  the 
Saviour  of  his  glory,  but  let  your  redemption  add 
a  new  trophy  to  the  triumphs  of  his  grace. 

3.  He  has  actually  saved  sinners  as  unlikely  as 
yourselves  to  obtain  his  favor.  The  scriptures  tell 
us  of  a  Manasseh,  whose  murders  made  the  streets 
of  Jerusalem  run  down  with  innocent  blood,  and 
who,  nevertheless,  became  a  wondrous  monument 
of  redeeming  grace.  They  tell  us  of  a  Mary 
Magdalen,  in  whom  dwelt  seven  devils,  and  yet 
they    could    not   prevent    a    gracious   visit   from 


176  The  Gospel  Offer. 

Christ.  They  tell  us  of  a  Paul,  who  was  a  per- 
secutor, blasphemous,  and  injurious,  hut  he  ob- 
tained mercy.  They  tell  us  of  those  who  were 
guilty  of  crucifying  the  Lord  of  glory,  and  yet 
this  blackest  of  guilt  was  washed  away  in  the 
blood  of  sprinkling.  Were  you  to  enumerate  the 
vile  abominations  which  have  disgraced  and  ren- 
dered miserable  our  nature,  and  to  present  the  hsi 
to  the  redeemed  in  heaven,  how  many  would  say, 
*'  And  such  were  ive  .'"  Oh,  sinner  !  the  path  you 
wish  to  tread,  has  been  trodden  })y  millions  before 
you,  and  like  you.  You  injure  the  freeness  and 
fulness  of  the  Redeemer's  grace,  by  hesitating  a 
moment  about  his  willingness  to  save  you. 

4.  Christ  has  told  you — in  the  text  he  tells  you, 
that  he  is  as  willing,  as  he  is  able,  to  save  to  the 
uttermost,  all  that  come  to  God  by  him.  And 
where  has  he  contradicted  himself?  Him  that 
Cometh  to  me,  is  the  unlimited  proclamation,  /  will 
in  no  ivise  cast  out.  Nay,  he  has  gone  farther;  he 
has  not  only  said,  he  has  sworn,  and  sworn  by 
himself,  (the  most  solemn  oath  that  God  can  take,) 
that  he  will  not  reject  you.  But  by  your  ques- 
tioning his  willingness  you  give  him  the 'lie;  you 
believe  the  devil  and  your  own  deceitful  hearts, 
and  believe  them  at  the  expense  of  Jehovah's 
truth.  Away  with  this  false  humility.  It  dishon- 
ors God,  and  is  fraught  with  poison  to  your  own 
souls.     It  is  the  most  inveterate   enemy  the  Re- 


The  Gospel  Offer.  Ill 

deemer  has — seize  this  traitor  and  nail  him  to  his 
cross.  The  great  Mediator  has  promised  to  receive 
}ou.  That  is  enough — take  him  at  his  word. 
He  has  put  no  qualification  in  his  warrant — see 
that  you  put  none  there.  Fix  your  eye  upon  his 
atonement — bring  his  promise  to  his  throne,  plead 
it  there,  "Lord,  do  as  thou  hast  said."  Such  a 
cry  has  never  been,  shall  never  be  unanswered  ; 
it  pierces  the  third  heavens,  and  brings  Jesus  to 
the  rehef  of  the  soul.  And  in  all  your  supplica- 
tions, remember  that  the  salvation  of  Christ  is  ab- 
solutely free  ;  a  quality  which  it  could  not  have  if 
it  excluded  any  who  are  willing  to  submit  t;)  it. 
There  is  not  one  way  to  hfe  for  little,  and  another 
for  great,  sinners.  Are  your  iniquities  heinously 
aggravated  1  Then  you  have  more  need  of  the 
Saviour !  Then  the  honors  of  his  love  will  be 
more  magnified  in  your  salvation !  Then  you  will 
be  more  deeply  indebted  to  his  grace  !  The  re- 
deemed will  all  shout,  but  you  will  shout  upon  a 
higher  note,  fo  him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us 
from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood — he  glory  and  do- 
minion forever  and  ever.     (Rev.  i.  5,  6.) 

As  the  whole  of  this  discourse  has  been  practical, 
the  improvement  shall  consist  in  a  very  few  obvious 
reflections. 

1.  If  coming  to  JeSus  Christ  imphes  the  several 
things  which  have  been  mentioned,  it  highly  con- 
cerns all  who  have  hitherto  lived  contented  with  a 

/    VOL.  IV.       12 


178  The  Gospel  Offer, 

mere  profession,  to  realize  their  misery  and  their 
danger.  My  brethren,  you  seem  to  forget  that  a 
form  of  godliness  will  not  save  your  souls.  All 
who  have  any  respect  for  the  system  of  divine 
truth,  profess  to  beheve,  though  the  conduct  of  too 
many  belies  their  creed,  that  there  is  no  salvation 
detached  from  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Now  what  will  it  profit  you,  that  this  precious 
principle  is  inscribed  in  every  page  of  your  Bible, 
and  has  a  place  in  your  understandings  and  memo- 
ries, if  it  do  not,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  deeply 
affect,  and  thoroughly  renew  your  hearts'?  Let 
me  ask  you,  and  let  conscience,  as  in  the  presence 
of  Jehovah,  put  home  the  question.  Have  you  felt 
yourselves  wretched,  aliens  from  God,  children  of 
wrath,  under  the  curse,  and  obnoxious  to  the  ven- 
geance of  his  holy  law  ?  Have  you  found  your- 
selves polluted,  your  power  to  do  good  entirely  lost, 
and  inherent  depravity  contaminating  and  poison- 
ing, like  the  pestilence,  what  you  once  imagined 
your  best  works  ?  Have  you  utterly  despaired  of 
doing  any  thing  to  relieve  yourselves  from  your 
woful  condition  X  Have  your  minds  been  illumi- 
nated to  see  the  glory  of  the  Redeemer's  person, 
the  suitableness  and  the  necessity  of  his  offices ; 
the  freedom  and  the  fulness  of  his  grace  ?  Are 
you  pleased  with  the  plan  of  salvation;  that  won- 
drous plan  which  puts  the  crown  upon  the  Media- 
tor's head,  and  lays  your  honors  and  your  impor- 


The  Gospel  Offer.  179 

tance  prostrate  in  the  dust  ?  Have  you  surrendered 
your  hearts,  and  consecrated  your  hves,  to  this 
almighty  Saviour  ?  If  you  are  his  people  indeed, 
if  you  are  the  just  expectants  of  a  happy  immor- 
tality, you  certainly  know  something  of  these 
things.  If  you  do  not,  it  is  to  be  hoped  you  will 
not  dare,  in  virtue  of  a  mere  profession,  to  seat  your- 
selves, to-morrow,  at  the  table  of  the  Lord,  Allow 
me,  my  friends,  to  deal  plainly  with  you ;  and  do 
you  deal  plainly  and  honestly  with  yourselves. 
The  table  shall  be  spread,  but  only  for  the  chil- 
dren of  the  kingdom — the  Master  comes,  but  he 
calls  not  for  you — you  have  not  the  wedding  gar- 
ment ;  you  have  no  invitation  from  Zion's  King  to 
this  feast  of  love ;  and  at  your  peril  be  it,  if  you 
go  uninvited.  Nay,  if  you  know  nothing  of  those 
exercises  of  the  soul  on  which  our  reflections  have 
dwelt  this  evening,  you  are  not  only  unbidden  to 
our  gospel  repast,  but  the  whole  of  your  religion  is 
a  dead  form,  an  empty  shell,  a  religion  for  this 
world,  and  it  will  attend  you  no  further  than  this 
world.  It  will  leave  you  at  death,  when  you  will 
most  sadly  need  comfort  and  support.  Be  not  de- 
ceived:  God  is  not  mocked.  If  any  man  be  in 
Christ,  he  is  a  new  creature.  You  must  he  horn 
again — you  must  have  a  justifying  righteousness, 
and  sanctifying  grace ;  without  this  no  man  shall 
see  the  Lord.  Without  this  no  splendid  profession, 
no  extensive  knowledge,  no  exalted  privileges,  will 


180  The   Gospel  Offer, 

benefit  jou  in  the  most  trying  hour.  All  these  you 
may  have,  and  yet  go  down  to  the  grave  with  a  lie 
in  your  right  hand.  O  that  you  were  wise  to 
know,  in  this  your  clay,  the  things  that  belong  to 
your  i)eace. 

2.  Will  Jesus  Christ  reject  none  who  come  to 
him?  then  all  who  perish,  perish  by  their  own 
fault.  Christ  and  all  the  benefits  of  the  everlast- 
ing covenant  are  now  offered  to  the  chief  of  sin- 
ners. To  every  one  in  this  assembly,  whatever 
his  character,  whatever  his  crimes,  the  free  promise 
of  eternal  life  is  presented.  Nay,  wherever  the 
joyful  sound  is  heard,  the  gracious  proclamation 
announces  peace  and  pardon  through  the  blood 
of  Jesus.  By  this  blood  a  fountain  is  opened  for 
the  house  of  David,  and  for  the  inhabitants  of  Je- 
rusalem. Hoi  every  one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to 
the  waters !  Whosoever  will,  let  him  come  and 
take  the  waters  of  life  freely  !  Whatever,  there- 
fore, you  may  pretend  ;  however  plausible  the 
excuses  by  wdiich  you  satisfy  your  consciences 
while  you  despise  the  blessed  Saviour ;  the  truth 
is,  (for  He  who  cannot  lie  hath  said  so,)  You  will 
NOT  come  to  him  that  you  may  have  life.  You  are, 
then,  your  own  destroyers ;  and  at  the  awful  ap- 
pearance of  your  Judge,  guilt  will  stop  your 
mouths ;  or  should  you  attempt  to  speak,  your 
mouths  will  condemn  you.  The  Lord  now  waits 
to  be  gracious;  but  remember,  that  if  you  persist 


The   Gospel  Offer.  181 

and  die  in  vour  unbelief,  there  remaineth  no  more 
sacrifice  for  sin,  hut  a  certai?i  fearful  looking  for 
of  judgment  and  fiery  indignation  which  shall  de- 
vour the  adversaries. 

3.  Since  Jesus  Christ  will  cast  out  none  who 
come  to  him,  let  it  be  your  care.  Christians,  to  live 
by  faith  upon  him.  May  the  most  inveterate  rebel 
.against  God  look  for  forgiveness  and  acceptance 
through  the  Mediator's  atonement  ?  and  shall  not 
his  children,  who  are  already  justified  by  that 
atonement,  have  boldness  and  confidence  in  their 
approaches  to  his  throne  \  You  have  many  cor- 
ruptions to  subdue — many  trials  to  sustain — many 
foes  to  resist — and  therefore,  if  you  expect  to  suc- 
ceed, you  must  have  many  errands  to  the  throne 
of  grace.  And  be  not  now  strangers  at  that 
throne — spread  before  it  all  your  weaknesses  and 
all  your  wants.  Pour  out,  into  the  bosom  of  your 
Father,  all  your  anxieties  and  all  your  griefs. 
Do  you  feel  your  lusts  strong,  and  your  graces 
weak  ?  Do  not  spend  your  time  in  lamenting 
your  feebleness,  but  betake  yourselves  to  him  who 
is  not  only  the  Lord  your  righteousness,  but  the 
Lord  your  strength.  Does  your  great  adversary 
seem  to  be  let  loose  upon  you  ?  Does  he,  as  a 
ravenous  lion,  terrify  you  by  his  roarings  \  Does 
he,  as  a  skilful  and  malicious  enemy,  discharge  into 
your  souls  his  fiery  darts  ?  Run  instantly  to  the 
Captain  of  your  salvation — he  has  an  arm  that  is 


182  ^     The   Gospel  Offer. 

full  of  power.  In  our  text  he  has  pledged  himself 
to  secure  you ;  and  as  he  cannot  deny  hhnself,  his 
faithfulness  will  be  your  shield  and  your  buckler. 

Have  you  acted  treacherously  towards  your 
Lord  \  Have  you  grieved  him  by  backsliding 
from  him  ?  And  has  he,  in  righteous  indignation, 
withdrawn  from  you  the  light  of  his  countenance  ? 
Humble  yourselves  under  his  mighty  hand,  but  do. 
not  mistake  the  meaning  of  his  providence.  He 
chastens,  because  he  loves  you.  He  says,  with 
inexpressible  tenderness,  Return,  ye  hacksliding 
children,  and  I  will  heal  your  hackslidings.  An- 
swer his  call,  Behold!  we  come  unto  thee,  for  thou 
art  the  Lord  our  God.  (Jer.  iii.  22.)  Whilst  the 
tear  of  ingenuous  shame  starts  in  your  eye,  fix  it 
on  his  everlasting  righteousness — let  your  trem- 
bling hand  again  lay  hold  of  his  covenant — bow  at 
his  footstool — plead  his  promise — you  shall  not  be 
disappointed,  for  it  is  a  truth  more  stable  than  the 
heavens,  that  them  who  come  to  him  he  will  in  no 
wist  cast  out. 


THE  GOSPEL  NO  CAUSE  OF  SHAME. 


SEHMON  XI. 


THE  GOSPEL  NO  CAUSE  OF  SHAME. 

EOMANS   I.  16. 

/  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  for  it 
is  the  'power  of  God  unto  salvation  to  every  one 
that  believeth. , 

Zeal  for  the  glory  of  his  Divme  Master  was  the 
most  prominent  feature  in  the  character  of  the 
apostle  Paul.  Hurried  away  by  the  blind  impulses 
of  ignorant  superstition  and  inveterate  mahce,  he 
had  formerly  persecuted  with  unrelenting  fury  all 
who  named  the  name  of  Jesus.  The  account 
which  he  gives  of  himself  exhibits  the  most  hideous 
picture  of  frantic  impiety.  /  verily  thought  loith 
myself  that  I  ought  to  do  many  things  contrary  to 


186        The  Gospel  no  Cause  of  Shame. 

the  name  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Which  thing  I 
also  did  in  Jerusalem ;  and  many  of  the  saints 
did  I  si  tut  u])  in  pi'ison,  hamng  received  authority 
'from  the  chief  priests;  and  when  they  were  put  to 
death  I  gave  my  voice  against  them.  And  1 
punished  them  oft  in  every  synagogue,  and  com- 
pelled them  to  blaspheme ;  and  being  exceedingly 
mad  against  them,  I  persecuted  them  even  unto 
strange  cities.   (Acts  xxvi.  9,  11.) 

Under  these  circumstances,  who  would  have 
thought,  accordmg  to  human  judgment,  that  the 
conversion  of  Paul  was  a  probable,  not  to  say  a 
possible,  event?  Assuredly,  had  he  been  governed 
by  worldly  motives,  we  never  should  have  heard 
of  him  as  a  Christian,  far  less  would  his  name  have 
shone  with  such  splendor  on  the  list  of  apostles. 
But  what  obstacles  can  arrest  the  power  of  Christ, 
or  prevent  him  from  bringing  to  himself  in  the  mo- 
ment of  love  the  chosen  vessels  of  mercy.  No 
sooner  does  divine  grace  take  possession  of  the 
soul  than  the  heart  of  stone  melts — the  fury  of 
persecution  subsides — the  murdering  sword  is  cast 
away — the  first  breath  of  penitence  cries.  Lord, 
what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do? — Saul  the  persecutor 
becomes  Paul  the  apostle.  With  an  ardor  propor- 
tioned to  his  former  enmity,  "  he  now  preaches 
the  faith  which  once  he  destroyed" — he  plants  the 
standard  of  the  Messiah  in  that  very  city  which 
witnessed  his  rebellion,  and  was  the  scene  of  his 


The  Gospel  no  Cause  of  Shame.         187 

cruelty — he  glories  in  the  cross  of  Christ — he  sees 
clearly  all  the  dangers  which  attend  such  a  profes- 
sion, and  all  the  calumny  and  odium  which  are 
heaped  upon  those  who  make  it.  But  unappalled 
by  danger,  unmoved  by  cahunny,  he  throws  to  his 
adversaries  the  gauntlet  of  defiance.  "  Why,"  says 
he,  "  should  I  blush  for  my  Redeemer  \  Let  them 
blush  who  never  saw  his  glory  nor  felt  his  love. 
But  /,  who  know  both,  am  not  ashamed  of  the 
gospel  of  Christ ;  and  I  have  the  best  reason  not 
to  be  ashamed  of  it,  for,  let  men  reproach  it  as 
they  please,  it  is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation 
to  every  one  that  helieveth." 

In  this  noble  testimony  which  Paul  gives  to  the 
gospel,  he  speaks  with  the  warmth  and  eagerness 
of  a  man  who  felt  its  importance  and  certainty. 
Enlarged  views  of  the  gracious  scheme  it  unfolds 
impressed  him  with  the  deep  conviction  that  it 
alone  can  bear  the  weight  of  an  immortal  soul. 
Enraptured  with  the  heavenly  prospects  it  opens, 
not  only  in  this  world  but  beyond  the  grave,  his 
heart  glowed  with  fervent  gratitude  to  their  adora- 
ble Author;  and  unable  to  repress  his  devout  affec- 
tion, he  cries  out,  /  am  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel 
of  Christ.  This  was  not  more  the  heroism  of  an 
inspired  apostle  than  it  is  the  temper  of  all  be- 
lievers. They  have  in  their  own  bosoms  the  same 
divine  principle  which  animated  the  faith  and 
hope   and    magnanimity  of  Paul.      'Tis    true,   in 


188         The  Gospel  no  Cause  of  Shame. 

them  it  may  not  be  equally  active,  nor  its  opera- 
tions of  equal  extent;  but  the  principle  they  have 
and  must  have.    Born  of  the  same  Father — united 
to  the  same  Redeemer — guided  by  the  same  Spirit, 
they  must  have  the  same  disposition.     However 
we-ak  their  faith,  hovv^ever  faint  their  hope,  how- 
ever dead,  their  frame,  it  is  their  "unaltered  wish" 
to  glorify  their  Saviour.     And  could  you  see  their 
inmost  souls,  you  might  read  there,  in  very  legible 
characters,  lam  not  ashamed  of  the  gospel  of  Christ. 
Too  often,  indeed,  their  actions  are  wholly  incon- 
sistent with  their  character  and  sentiments.     They 
shrink  from  the  frown  or  sneer  of  a  world  that  lieth 
in  wickedness.     But  of  this  timidity  they  ought  to 
be  ashamed.     It  is  the  fruit  of  their  unbehef — the 
badge  of  their  folly — the  chastisement  of  their  sin. 
That  they  may  not  be  left  to  act  so  unworthy 
and  ungrateful  a  part  should  be  the  constant  study 
and  prayer  of  Christians;  and  they  will  find   the 
subject  of  our  present  attention  fraught  witli  sweet 
and  powerful  motives  to  liold  fast,  not  merely  their 
faith,  but  the   profession   of  their  faith,   without 
wavering ;  for  it  naturally  leads  us  to  take  a  view 
of  the   gospel  of  Christ — to    notice    somtf  of   the 
reasons'for  which  carnal  men  are  ashamed  of  it — 
to  display  the  Christian  temper  by  showing  what 
is  comprehended  in  ?iot  being  ashamed  of  it — and 
to  ilkistrate  the  argument  by  which  the  bold  pro- 
fession of  it  is  defended. 


The  Gospel  no  Cause  of  Shame.        189 

In  prosecuting  the  plan  which  has  now  been 
proposed,  and  depending  upon  that  gracious  aid, 
without  which  we  can  do  nothing,  let  us, 

In  the  hrst  place,  take  a  brief  view  of  the  gospel 
of  Christ 

Gospel,  as  is  commonly  remarked,  signifies  glad 
tidings ;  and  the  term  is  appropriated,  with  pecu- 
liar propriety,  to  the  revelation  of  divine  mercy  as 
it  is  manifested  in  Christ  Jesus. 

The  gospel  well  deserves  to  be  termed  glad 
tidings  in  a  variety  of  respects,  as  it  answers  to 
complete  satisfaction  the  most  important  questions 
that  man  can  ask.  It  rpsolves  our  doubts  about 
the  nature  and  character  of  God — about  the  dis- 
pensations of  his  providence,  about  a  future  state, 
about  the  misery  of  our  present  condition,  and 
about  the  method  of  our  recovery. 

1.  The  gospel  of  Christ  informs  us  about  the 
nature  and  character  of  God. 

That  man,  who  was  created  in  the  divine 
image,  and  honored  with  the  divine  favor  and 
communication,  should  so  fatally  degenerate  as  to 
forget  the  first  lesson  which  was  taught  to  his 
species,  a  knowledge  of  the  God  who  made  him,  is 
not  a  more  melancholy  proof  of  his  depravity  than 
it  is  a  part  of  his  misery.  Credulity  itself  could 
scarcely  have  believed  that  human  reason,  which 
originally  was  pure  and  clear,  should  be  so  debased 
and  blinded  as  to  mistake  entirely  the  nature  and 


190         The  Gospel  no   Cause  of  Shame. 

plainest  attributes  of  God,  and  to  ascribe  any  of 
them  to  the  creatures  of  his  hand.  But  the  fact  is 
unquestionable.  The  dreadful  apostasy  of  our 
race  plunged  us  into  such  woful  ignorance,  that  we 
groped  in  darkness,  even  at  noon-day.  I  should 
abuse  yonr  understandings  should  I  attempt  to 
prove  that  the  heathen  world  was  overspread  with 
the  grossest  superstition  and  idolatry.  I  should 
waste  your  time  in  recapitulating  the  opposite 
opinions  which  were  entertained  of  God,  not  only 
by  the  multitude,  but  also  by  the  greatest  philoso- 
phers. Whether  there  is  one  great  and  glorious 
Being,  who  centers  in  himself  all  the  perfections 
of  Deity,  or  whether  these  are  distributed  amongst 
more  than  one,  is  a  question  about  which  the  phi- 
losophers hesitated,  and  which  the  vulgar  decided 
in  favor  of  Polytheism.  Such  a  decision  must  ne- 
cessarily draw  after  it  a  train  of  fatal  errors  respect- 
ing every  part  of  the  divine  character,  and  every 
relation  it  bears  to  us.  Its  practical  effects  are 
briefly,  but  elegantly  and  strikingly  summed  up  by 
our  apostle  when  he  tells  us,  in  the  close  of  this 
first  chapter  of  the  epistle  to  the  Romans,  that  men 
changed  the  glory  of  the  incorruptible  God  into  an 
image  made  like  to  corruptible  man,  and  to  birds^ 
and  four  footed  beasts,  and  creeping  things,  and 
worshiped  and  served  the  creature  more  than  the 
Creator,  luho  is  blessed  forever.  Even  they,  who, 
a  little  more  enlightened,  condemned  idolatry,  and 


The  Gospel  no  Cause  of  Shame.         191 

were  inclined  to  favor  the  doctrine  of  the  unity  of 
God,  were  much  at  a  loss  concerning  other  mat- 
ters of  the  highest  moment.  Is  God  a  Spirit?  Is 
he  the  author  of  evil  \  If  not,  is  he  so  necessarily 
holy  that  he  must  punish  sin  ?  Is  there  any  possi- 
ble way  of  escaping  his  righteous  indignation  ? 
Will  he  certainly  bring  us  into  judgment  for  all 
our  actions,  or  only  for  some  ?  Does  he  take  no- 
tice of  our  thoughts  \  How  is  he  to  be  worshipped  1 
Ought  we  to  worship  him  at  the  hazard  of  mis- 
taking the  acceptable  mode,  and  thus  bring  upon 
ourselves  new  and  accumulated  guilt;  or  ought  we 
to  omit  it  altogether  ?  On  these  and  other  impor- 
tant questions  the  wisest  of  the  heathens  said  the 
least ;  and  they  who  were  most  positive  most  fre- 
quently erred.  So  truly  does  the  apostle  say,  that 
professing  thejnselves  to  he  wise  they  became  fools, 
and  that  the  imrld  by  ivisdom  knew  not  God.  From 
this  frightful  state  of  doubt,  suspense,  and  per- 
plexity, the  gospel  of  Christ  delivered  the  world. 
It  chased  away  the  clouds  which  wrapped  in  dark- 
ness the  human  mind,  and  poured  upon  the  gloom 
of  midnight  a  flood  of  day.  This  gospel  declares 
that  God  is  One.  Hear,  O  Israel!  the  Lord  our 
God  is  ONE  Jehovah.  It  also  declares  hoiu  he  is 
one,  in  revealing  to  us  the  mystery  of  the  adorable 
Trinity — the  wonderful  mystery  of  three  equal 
divine  persons  subsisting  in  one  undivided  essence; 
a  mystery  of  dread  importance,  of  which  the  know- 


192  The  Gospel  no   Cause  of  Shame. 

ledge  is  absolutely  necessary  to  our  eternal  happi- 
ness, but  which  mere  reason  never  could  have 
conjectured,  far  less  discovered.  The  gospel  de- 
clares that  "God  is  a  Spirit,  infinite,  eternal, 
unchangeable,  in  his  being,  wisdom,  power,  holi- 
ness, justice,  goodness,  and  truth."  In  his  being, 
and  therefore  as  he  could  have  no  beginning,  so 
he  can  have  no  alteration  nor  end,  but  must  con- 
tinue the  same,  in  all  the  glory  of  his  nature,  to- 
day, yesterday,  and  forever.  In  his  uisdom,  and 
therefore  all  things,  even  the  most  secret  thoughts, 
are  open  to  his  sight,  and  shall  all  be  conducted 
to  the  best  and  noblest  end.  In  his  jwicer,  and 
therefore  the  determinations  of  his  wisdom  can 
never  be  frustrated,  but  shall  certainly  be  carried 
into  complete  execution.  In  his  holiness,  and 
therefore  he  cannot  be  the  author  of  evil ;  he  must 
hate  sin  with  a  perfect  hatred ;  he  cannot  allow  it 
to  pass  with  impunity,  but  must  punish  it  as  infal- 
libly as  he  is  God.  In  his  justice,  and  therefore 
while  he  supports  the  dignity  of  his  laws  and  the 
rights  of  his  government,  and  vindicates  the  hon- 
ors of  his  character,  his  decisions  must  be  accord- 
ing to  truth,  and  so  perfectly  equitable  as  to  shut 
the  mouth  of  every  offender.  In  his  goodness,  and 
therefore  we  may  be  assured  that  he  does  not  afflict 
willingly,  nor  grieve  the  children  of  men  ;  that  the 
innocent  cannot  suffer;  that  they  who  do  suffer 
must  be  sinners,  and  the    authors  of   their   own 


The  Gospel  no  Cause  of  Shame.        193 

misery ;  and  that  there  is  here  laid  a  foundation  on 
which  even  the  guilty  may  hope  to  be  delivered 
from  the  condemnation  to  which  their  con- 
sciences tell  them  they  are  liable,  provided  the 
dehverance  can  be  effected  in  a  consistency  with  all 
the  divine  attributes.  And  in  his  truth,  so  that 
neither  his  promises  nor  his  threatenings  can  pos- 
sibly fail. 

Farther,  the  gospel  of  Christ  declares  that  God 
is  to  be  worshipped — that  he  is  to  be  worshipped 
in  spirit  and  in  truth  ;  secretly  and  openly ;  that 
to  neglect  this  duty  is  death  ;  and  that  it  cannot  be 
acceptably  performed,  but  in  the  mode  prescribed 
in  the  revelation  of  the  covenant  of  grace. 

As  the  account  which  divine  revelation  gives 
of  the  nature  and  character  of  God,  far  exceeds, 
both  in  value  and  extent,  all  the  accounts  to  which 
uninspired  philosophy  can  pretend ;  so  the  marks 
of  decided  superiority  are  stamped  with  equal 
clearness  upon  the  account  which  it  gives  of  the 
government  of  God.     I  therefore  observe, 

2.  That  the  gospel  of  Christ  affords  us  true  and 
interesting  views  of  Divine  Providence. 

How  great  was  the  confusion  and  perplexity  of 
the  acutest  observers  of  the  moral  world,  when, 
unaided  by  revelation,  they  attempted  to  develop 
the  mysteries  of  Providence :  and  how  vain  were 
all  their  efforts  to  extricate  themselves  from  their 
difficulties,  can  be  a  secret  to  none  who  are   ac- 

VOL.  IV.       13 


194        The  Gosjjel  no   Cause  of  Sha??ie. 

quainted  with  the  state  of  mankind  before  the  pro- 
mulgation of  the  gospel.  That  God,  the  Creator 
of  the  universe,  governs  it  with  unerring  wisdom, 
almighty  power,  and  unceasing  care,  is  a  proposi- 
tion so  plain  to  those  who  know  their  Bibles,  and 
with  which  conscience  so  immediately  closes,  that 
we  are  apt  to  imagine  no  man  can  refuse,  /or  a 
moment,  his  cordial  and  unhesitating  assent.  Yet 
even  this  proposition,  all  clear  and  commanding  as 
it  is,  was  much  controverted  by  pagans  of  old,  and, 
as  if  God  meant  to  stain  the  pride  of  human  rea- 
son, it  is  controverted  at  this  hour  by  many  who 
reject  the  scriptures  of  truth.  Amongst  the  hea- 
then, Divine  Providence  was  a  subject  which 
seldom  occupied  the  thoughts  of  the  vulgar,  and 
about  which  the  wise  were  perpetually  quarreling. 
Some  denied,  in  the  gross,  God's  creating  power 
and  goodness.  Some,  though  they  ascribed  to  him 
the  power  of  creating,  were  for  excluding  him 
entirely  from  governing,  the  world  ;  fondly  and 
impiously  dreaming  that  all  things  are  driven  at 
random  by  blind  fatality,  or  bhnder  chance,  and 
that  God  concerns  himself  neither  in  human 
affairs,  nor  in  any  thing  else.  Others,  measuring 
Infinite  Wisdom  and  power  by  their  own  igno- 
rance and  feebleness,  and  unable  to  comprehend 
how  a  single  mind  can  attend  to  the  varied,  and 
multiplied,  and  intricate  affairs  of  a  universe,  wished 
to  rid  the  Deity  of  fatigue,  and  contrived  to  par- 


The  Gospel  no   Cause  of  Shame.        195 

eel  out  the  world  amongst  a  number  of  divinities, 
to  each  of  whom  they  assigned  a  pecuUar  province. 
And  the  few  who,  more  sound  in  their  judgments, 
and  more  sober  in  iheir  inquiries,  admitted  God's 
superintendence  over  the  works  of  his  hands,  and 
labored  to  shun  the  dangers  of  a  contrary  opinion, 
were  yet  puzzled  and  confounded  by  the  occur- 
rences of  every  day.  When  they  adverted  to  the 
different  classes  and  characters  of  men,  they  felt 
that  to  reconcile  their  situations,  in  the  connnon 
course  of  events,  with  a  good,  a  wise,  an  equitable 
providence,  was  a  task  too  hard  for  their  deepest 
thought,  and  most  diligent  research.  If  anything 
is  to  be  gathered  from  a  general  notion  of  God's 
character,  and  the  first  dictates  of  reason  and  con- 
science, it  is  this  general  maxim,  that  evil  ought  to 
be  punished,  and  good  rewarded.  But  when  men, 
guided  by  the  mere  light  of  nature,  turned  their 
attention  to  the  actual  administration  of  Provi- 
dence, how  awful  and  disheartening  was  it  to  find, 
that  this  leading  character  of  an  upright  governor 
was  apparently  contradicted  by  almost  every  act 
of  his  government.  When  they  saw  iniquity  at 
ease,  and  prosperity  taking  up  her  abode  in  the 
dweUings  of  the  wicked — when  they  saw  plenty 
open  her  treasures,  and  pour  upon  their  heads  her 
choice,  her  balmy  blessings — and  honor  crowning 
their  lives  with  her  most  flattering  distinctions ; 
especially  when  they  saw,  on  the  other  hand,  that 


196        The   Gospel  no   Cause  of  Shame. 

men,  to  their  discernment  unblemished  in  their 
characters,  and  venerable  for  their  virtues,  were 
frequently  reduced  to  struggle  w^ith  the  complicated 
ills  of  life — to  languish  under  disease,  or  pine  in 
poverty — to  become  the  victims  of  oppression  and 
falsehood,  or  to  sink  beneath  a  load  of  injuries; 
when  they  observed  these  things  what  could  they 
say  ?  Renounce  the  doctrine  of  a  providence 
they  could  not,  without  renouncing  their  reason ; 
and  they  could  hardly  retain  it  without  renouncing 
their  senses.  Who  will  help  them  in  this  sad  di- 
lemma \  Who  will  answer  a  question  like  the  fol- 
lowing \  "  Do  not  such  dispensations  look  like  a 
bounty  on  crimes  and  a  penalty  on  innocence  ?" 
The  difficulty  is  great  and  serious :  it  is  so  great 
that  reflection  upon  it  staggered  the  faith,  and 
almost  overturned  the  steadfastness  of  one  who  was 
favored  with  divine  revelation.  Verily,  said  Asaph, 
in  the  agony  of  his  soul.  Verily  I  have  cleansed  my 
heart  in  vain,  and  washed  my  hands  in  innocency. 
(Ps.  Ixxiii.  13.)  Nor  were  his  doubts  removed,  nor 
the  rebellion  of  his  heart  subdued,  till  he  went  into 
the  sanctuary  of  God.  As  for  those  who  had  not 
revelation,  the  only  thing  which  could  in  the  least 
alleviate  their  painful  anxiety,  is  the  idea  of  future 
retribution.  But  this  idea,  as  we  shall  hereafter 
see,  was  at  most  the  trembling  conjecture  of  a  pro- 
bable fact,  and  by  no  means  the  firm  and  solid 
conviction  of  an  undoubted  reality.     But  had  the 


The  Gospel  no  Cause  of  Shame.        197 

conviction  been  ever  so  firm,  difficulties  v^^hich  we 
cannot  now  mention,  still  remained.  If  philosophy 
was  required  to  solve  them,  she  shrunk  from  the 
unequal  attempt ;  or  if  she  undertook  it,  it  was 
only  to  betray  her  feebleness,  and  to  mock  the  ex- 
pectation of  her  followers.  But  here,  when  every 
human  resource  failed,  the  gospel  of  Christ  stepped 
in,  and  with  all  the  dignity  and  ease  of  heavenly 
truth,  untied  those  gordian  knots  which  bade  defi- 
ance to  the  ingenuity  of  man.  I  do  not  mean  to 
say  that  the  gospel  disclosed  all  the  secrets  of  the 
divine  government.  There  are  many  things  which 
we  may  not,  should  not  know.  Things  of  which 
the  knowledge  is  graciously  concealed  from  us,  as 
it  could  serve  no  purpose  but  to  render  us  miser- 
able. There  are  many  things  which  we  could  not 
know.  Things  so  deep  and  mysterious  as  to  be 
far  beyond  the  reach  of  any  created  intellect.  And 
therefore,  intruding  curiosity  may  start  a  thousand 
difficulties  which  no  mortal  can  remove.  But  this 
is  no  prejudice  to  the  gospel.  Its  discoveries  are 
adapted,  with  infinite  wisdom,  to  our  circumstances. 
It  unfolds  so  much  of  the  plan  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence as  is  necessary  and  useful — so  much  as  may 
justify,  even  to  our  frail  understandings,  the  ways 
of  God  to  men — as  may  teach  the  wicked  the  most 
alarming  lessons — as  may  strengthen  and  animate 
the  faith,  and  hope,  and  peace  of  the  believer. 
The  gospel  informs  us,  that  as  God  created  all 


198        The  Gospel  no  Cause  of  Shame. 

things  for  himsef  so  lie  upholds  them  hy  the  word 
of  his  power,  and  rules  them  by  the  counsel  of  his 
will.  It  informs  us  that  he  framed  in  eternity,  the 
plan  of  all  his  operations;  and  that  Frovidence  is 
nothing  but  the  gradual  development  of  this  plan, 
at  such  seasons,  and  in  such  degrees,  as  to  his  wis- 
dom appears  fit — that  the  plan  is  unalterable  in  it- 
self: J  am  Jehovah,  I  change  not;  my  counsel  shall 
stand,  says  he,  and  I  will  do  all  my  pleasure — that 
it  is  so  infallible  in  its  execution,  as  not  to  be  hin- 
dered for  a  moment  by  any  impediment  whatso- 
ever ;  for  he  duth  according  to  his  will  in  the  armies 
of  heaven,  and  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth  ; 
and  none  can  stay  his  hand,  or  say  unto  him,  what 
dost  thou  1 — that  it  is  so  boundless  in  its  extent,  as 
to  comprehend  all  things,  even  objects  the  most 
minute,  and  incidents  apparently  the  most  trifling. 
The  hairs  of  your  head,  they  are  the  words  of  our 
Redeemer,  the  very  hairs  of  your  head  are  all  num- 
bered; and  a  sparrow  shall  not  fall  to  the  ground 
without  your  Father.  That  nothing  can  happen 
but  in  a  subserviency  to  the  end  which  God  has 
in  view — that  all  second  causes,  though  operating 
in  different  ways,  and  even  though  hostile  in  jhem- 
selves  to  this  end,  are  combined  effectually  to  pro- 
mote it.  Surely  the  wrath  of  man  shall  praise 
thee,  and  the  remainder  of  wrath  thou  wilt  restrain. 
The  gospel  bids  us  not  to  wonder  if  we  cannot 
account  for  many  proceedings  of  the  Governor  of 


The   Gospel  no   Cause  of  Shame.  199 

the  universe,  since  his   way  is  in  the  sea,  and  his 
path  in  the  great  waters,  and  his  footsteps  are  not 
knoion.     It  bids  us  not  to  be  stumbled  if  we  see  the 
wicked  spreading  like  a  green   hay-tree,    high  in 
power,  and  wantoning  in  plenty ;  because  this  is 
not  the  way  in  which  God  expresses  his  approba- 
tion and  favor,  as  his  word  declares,  and  innumer- 
able facts  prove  :  for  nothing  is  more  cettain  than 
that  inward  happiness  is  far  from  being  a  neces- 
sary attendant  upon  outward  prosperitj^  and  be- 
cause   wise    and    valuable    purposes    are    accom- 
plished by  this  dispensation.     Were  God  to  cut  off 
immediately  the  notoriously  wicked,  he  could  not 
bring  all  his  sons  to  glory,  many  of  whom  are  to 
spring  from  them,  and  are  to  receive,  and  love,  and 
honor  that  Redeemer,  whom  their  fathers  rejected, 
and  hated,   and  viUfied.     In   the   mean   time,  he 
makes  them,  though  they  know  it  not,  the  instru- 
ments of  building  up  his  church,  and  by  loading 
them   with  benefits,  he  renders  their  impiety  the 
more  inexcusable,  their  guilt  the  more  flagrant,  and 
his  justice  in  punishing  them  the  more  conspicuous. 
If,   in  righteous  indignation,  he  sometimes  scatter 
their  wealth,  and  stain  their  honors,  and  blast  their 
prospects,  and  bring  upon  them  the  swift  and  fear- 
ful  recompense  of  their  crimes,   he  teaches  men 
that  verily  there  is  a  God  who  jtidgeth  rightly. 
Thus,  both  his  long-suffering  and  his  vengeance 
throw  a  lustre  on  his  wisdom.     Were  all  punished, 


200         The  Gospel  no  Cause  of  Shame. 

men  would  forget  an  hereafter.  Did  all  escape, 
they  would  thhik  that  God  had  forsaken  the  earth, 
and  whatever  they  did,  the  Lord  regarded  not. 

On  the  other  hand,  as  the  gospel  tells  us  that  ex- 
ternal felicity  is  not  always  a  mark  of  the  divine 
favor,  so  it  bids  us  not  to  be  surprised  if  we  see 
good  men  laboring  under  the  pressure  of  calamity. 
It  silences  .the  voice  of  murmuring,  by  giving  us  to 
understand,  that  considering  the  infinite  evil  of 
sin,  however  God  may  frown  upon  even  the  right- 
eous, he  treats  them  far  more  gently  and  tenderly 
than  they  deserve.  Wherefore  doth  a  living  man 
complain,  a  man  for  the  punishnent  of  his  sins? 
(Lam.  iii.  39.)  As  if  the  prophet  had  said,  "  What! 
out  of  hell,  and  yet  complain  I  Blush,  O  man,  for 
thy  ingratitude  !  Tremble  for  thy  presumption  !" 
But  the  gospel  farther  informs  us  that  we  greatly 
mistake  in  concluding  a  man  miserable  because  he 
is  poor,  or  despised,  or  oppressed — that  the  peace 
and  pleasure  of  a  Christian  are  a  peace  and  pleas- 
ure, which,  as  the  world  cannot  give,  so  it  cannot 
take  away — that  even  in  calamity  the  "  consola- 
tions of  God"  impart  more  gladness  and  better  en- 
joyment than  can  be  felt  or  known  by  the  wicked 
ivhen  their  corn  and  their  ivine  abound.  It  informs 
us  that  all  things,  even  the  most  unpromising,  *7ifl// 
work  together  for  the  good  of  them  who  love  God, 
and  are  called  according  to  his  purpose — that  afflic- 
tions are  the  discipline  of  their  Father's  house,  and 


Tlie  Gospel  no  Cause  of  Shame.        201 

that  the  exercise  of  this  discipline  towards  them  is 
at  once  a  proof  and  privilege  of  their  adoption,  for 
whom  the  Lord  loveth  he  chasteneth,  and  scour geth 
every  son  whom  he  receivcth — that  he  makes  afflic- 
tion an  instrument  by  which  he  "  purges  away  the 
dross,  takes  away  the  tin,  and  purifies  the  gold  of 
his  people^by  which  he  mortifies  their  corruptions 
and  quickens  their  graces — by  which  he  weans 
them  from  a  criminal  attachment  to  this  world,  and 
teaches  them  that  as  they  profess  to  be  citizens  of 
heaven,  they  should  justify  their  title  to  the  exalted 
character  by  setting  their  affections  on  things 
above — and  finally,  the  gospel  informs  us,  that  their 
sufferings  shall  not  only  be  blessed  to  them  here, 
but  shall  be  abundantly  repaid  hereafter,  when  Je- 
hovah shall  finish  the  present  dispensation  of  things 
by  giving  to  the  wicked  the  exact  and  impartial 
due  of  their  iniquities,  and  bringing  the  righteous 
to  Zion  icith  songs,  when  everlasting  joy  shall  be 
upon  their  heads,  when  sorroic  and  sighing  shall 
flee  away,  and  God  himself  shall  wipe  away  all 
tears  from  their  eyes.     I  therefore  remark, 

3.  That  the  gospel  of  Christ  affords  us  the  truest 
information  about  <i  future  state. 

The  gospel  informs  us  that  we  shall  live  here- 
after— that  as  soon  as  the  soul  is  separated  from 
the  body  by  death,  it  repairs  to  the  tribunal  of  God, 
where  it  receives  a  sentence  which  fixes  its  eternal 
destiny — that  this  sentence,  however,  is  but  the 


202         The  Gosiiel  no   Cause  of  Shajne. 

first  part  of  the  divine  proceeding — that  God  has 
appointed  a  day  in  which  he  will  openly  judge  the 
world  hy  Jesus  Christ — that  at  this  awfully  inter- 
esting period  the  trump  of  God  shall  burst  the 
caverns  of  the  dead,  and  startle  into  life  the  slum- 
bering dust — that  the  bodies  of  men  thus  raised 
shall  be  reunited  to  their  souls — that  after  this  new 
union  they  shall  be  summoned,  amidst  the  dread 
solenmities  of  a  descending  God  and  the  convul- 
sions of  a  dissolving  universe,  before  the  judgment 
seat  of  Christ — that  there  they  must  give  an  ac- 
count of  all  the  deeds  done  in  the  body,  whether  they 
he  good  or  whether  they  he  evil — that  infinite  equity 
will  pass  upon  every  individual  an  irreversible 
decision — that  then  the  scene  will  be  forever  closed, 
when  the  wicked  shall  go  away  into  everlasting 
'punishment,  hut  the  righteous  into  life  eternal. 

When  men  consider  themselves  immortal  be- 
ings, and  believe  that  their  present  state  has  a 
most  serious  influence  upon  the  happiness  or 
misery  of  an  eternal  existence,  it  becomes  a  sub- 
ject of  important  investigation  to  know  what  their 
state  is,  and  how  they  may  be  sure  of  future  bliss. 

To  obtain  true  satisfaction,  let  them  not  run  to 
philosophic  schools — let  them  not  trudge  through 
the  pathless  desert  of  wild  conjecture — let  them 
not  be  duped  by  the  high  pretensions  of  learned 
ignorance.      Miserable   comforters   are   they  all ! 


The  Gospel  no   Cause  of  Shame.         203 

The  Bible  alone  can  help  them  in  their  straits; 
and,  therefore,  we  may  observe, 

4,  That  the  gospel  of  Christ  opens  to  our  view 
the  nature  of  our  present  condition. 

Vain  was  every  exertion  to  account  for  the  in- 
troduction and  prevalence  of  sin,  and  to  discover 
the  extent  of  its  direful  consequences.  The  gos- 
pel reveals  to  us  the  dreadful  secret.  It  informs  us 
that  man  was  at  first  created  pure,  spotless,  and 
transcendently  happy — perfectly  innocent — shining 
in  the  rays  of  his  Creator's  glory — surrounded  with 
delights,  and  dignified  with  the  homage  of  an  obe- 
dient world,  there  was  nothing  which  could  give 
him  one  painful  emotion.  All  within  was  serene 
and  joyous  —  all  without  secure  and  peaceful. 
That  in  this  situation  his  God  entered  into  a  cove- 
nant with  him  by  giving  him  as  the  test  of  his 
gratitude  and  his  duty,  a  law  which  was  admirably 
fitted  to  promote  his  happiness.  That  the  con- 
dition of  this  covenant  was  perfect  obedience  to 
the  divine  law.  That  eternal  life  and  glory  were 
promised  as  the  high  reward  of  fidelity;  and  death, 
in  the  largest  meaning  of  the  word,  death  temporal, 
spiritual,  and  eternal,  was  threatened  as  the  tre- 
mendous penalty  in  case  of  unfaithfulness.  That 
tliis  covenant  was  made  with  our  first  parents,  not 
as  individuals,  but  as  a  nature,  as  the  public  repre- 
sentatives of  their  future  family,  who  should  there- 
fore stand  or  fall  with  them,  hve  in  their  hfe,  and 


204  The  Gospel  no   Cause  of  Shame. 

die  in  their  death.  That  God  marked,  as  the 
pledge  of  their  obedience,  a  certain  tree,  from 
which  he  commanded  them  to  abstain.  That, 
regardless  of  his  command,  abusing  the  hberty 
with  which  he  had  endued  them,  and  yielding  to 
the  suggestions  of  Satan,  an  apostate  spirit,  thej 
plucked  the  forbidden  fruit — they  transgressed  the 
covenant  of  their  God — they  fell  from  their  in- 
tegrity. That  at  the  instant  of  their  fall  the  broken 
law  arrested  them,  and  they  became  exposed  to  all 
the  horrors  which  its  curse  contains.  That  by 
their  disobedience  they  broke  down  the  sacred 
hedge  which  divine  faithfulness  had  placed  around 
them.  That  sin,  with  all  her  hellish  train,  rushed 
through  the  breach  into  our  world,  and  from  that 
fatal  moment  to  this  has  spread  desolation  and  wo 
amongst  men.  But  this  is  not  all.  The  gospel 
informs  us,  that  we  are,  every  one  of  us,  hy  nature 
children  of  wrath,  deriving  from  our  first  parents 
both  guilt  and  depravity;  and  that  this  is  the  cor- 
rupted source  from  which  all  actual  transgressions 
proc(>ed.  That,  in  consequence  of  our  guilt  and 
pollution,  we  are  odious  and  loathsome  in  the  sight 
of  a  holy  God,  and  have  in  our  hearts  a  principle 
of  enmity  against  him.  That  dead  in  tresjmsses 
and  sins,  we  can  do  nothing  to  help  ourselves,  as 
we  can  do  nothing  but  sin.  That  no  created 
power  can  help  us,  or  loose  us  in  the  least  from  our 
connection    with    the    violated    covenant.      That 


The  Gospel  no   Cause  of  Shame.        205 

while  this  connection  subsists  we  can  expect 
nothing  but  what  the  covenant  has  to  give,  and 
that  this  is  nothing  but  the  fiery  indignation  ivhich 
shall  devour  the  adversaries. 

This  information,  if  viewed  in  itself,  is  dreadful 
— enough  to  strike  the  chill  of  death  into  every 
heart — and  were  the  message  of  God  to  stop  here, 
instead  of  bringing  glad  tidings,  it  would  convert 
our  world  into  a  very  hell.  But  it  is  one  of  the 
benevolent  characteristics  of  the  rehgion  of  Jesus, 
that  it  smites  only  to  heal ;  it  lays  open  the  dis- 
ease, that  it  may  apply  the  remedy.  And  hence 
we  remark, 

Lastly,  That  the  gospel  of  Christ  reveals  a  me- 
thod of  recovery  from  our  ruined  condition. 

Had  Gabriel,  who  stands  in  the  presence  of  God, 
been  asked,  "Can  sinful  men  be  saved,  and  the 
honor  of  his  Creator  be  preserved?"  his  silence 
would  have  proclaimed  his  inabihty  to  answer.  It 
is  one  of  the  first  dictates  of  reason,  that  a  crimi- 
nal ought  to  atone  for  his  crime.  But  what  atone- 
ment,  what  satisfaction,  can  a  sinner  make  ?  His 
offence  is  infinite — all  that  he  has,  all  that  he  can 
do,  is  a  debt.  Will  repentance  help  him  \  Alas  ! 
the  law  knows  not  of  repentance.  It  fixes  the 
penalty  with  the  transgressor  ;  and  if  God  be  faith- 
ful to  himself,  the  penalty  must  be  executed.  And 
now,  when  all  prospect  of  escape  is  cut  off,  who 
shall  screen  the  offender  from  wrath  1     Shall  not 


206        The  Gospel  no   Cause  of  Shame. 

despair  blacken  his  countenance,  and  harrow  up 
his  soul  ?  Oh  no  !  at  this  season  of  need,  the  gos- 
pel of  Christ  leaps  down  from  heaven,  and  brings 
speedy  and  effectual  rehef.  It  is  the  sum  of  her 
reviving  message,  Deliver  him  from  going  down  to 
the  iiit ;  I  have  found  a  ransom.  In  the  exphca- 
tion  of  this  transporting  news,  the  gospel  informs 
us  that  God,  out  of  mere  mercy,  resolved  to  save  a 
number  of  sinful  men,  and  to  save  them  in  a  way 
which  should  bring  all  the  glory  to  his  sovereign 
grace ;  that  as  he  could  not  dispense  with  the 
sanction  of  his  law,  and  as  man  was  utterly  una- 
ble to  give  the  satisfaction  which  the  law  required, 
the  Second  Person  of  the  glorious  trinity  volunta- 
rily offered  to  assume  our  nature,  to  become  the 
substitute  of  all  whom  the  Father  should  give  him, 
and  who  should  believe  upon  his  name,  and  in  that 
character  to  obey  perfectly  the  divine  law,  and 
endure  the  whole  of  the  terrible  punishment  which 
their  sins  deserved ;  and  thus  pave  the  way  for  re- 
storing them  to  divine  favor  and  making  them  cer- 
tain heirs  of  eternal  life.  That  in  the  fulness  of 
time,  fixed  by  infinite  wisdom,  the  Lord  Jesus 
actually  came  into  our  world — that  being  born  in 
an  extraordinary  manner,  he  was  not  one  of 
Adam's  represented  children — was  neither  guilty, 
nor  polluted — was  not  exposed  to  the  curse,  nor 
bound  by  the  obligations  of  the  law,  and  that  he 
consented  to  be  made  under  it  as  the  rcpresenta- 


The  Gosjw.l  no   Cause  of  Shame.       207 

tive  of  liis  people,  both  in  its  obligations  and  in  its 
curse.  That  having  graciously  submitted  to  be 
made  thus  under  the  law,  he  did  perfectly  obey  it, 
through  a  life  of  labor,  temptation,  and  suffering. 
That  at  his  death  he  did  make  himself  an  offering. 
That  stretched  upon  the  accurse.d  tree,  and  de- 
prived of  the  hght  of  his  Father's  countenance,  he 
drank  the  dregs  of  his  Father's  w^rath;  received 
into  his  soul  the  bitter  anguish  vsiiich  would  have 
been  our  portion  through  eternity  ;  and  struggled, 
at  the  same  time,  with  all  the  malice  and  all  the 
madness  of  hell.  But  being  Jehovah  in  our  na- 
ture, his  sufferings,  though  short,  were  of  infinite 
value,  and  completed  the  purchase  of  our  redemp- 
tion. His  own  arm  defeated  the  hosts  of  darkness 
— his  expiring  breath  proclaimed  his  victory — and 
the  cross  of  Calvary  stood  the  bloody  trophy  of  his 
conquest. 

The  gospel  informs  us  that,  though  our  Re- 
deemer died,  he  rose  again,  and  ascended  up, 
visibly,  into  the  highest  heaven — that  he  appears 
there  at  this  moment,  as  the  intercessor  of  his 
people,  presenting  in  their  room  his  everlasting 
merits — that  there  he  manages  all  their  concerns 
— that  thence  he  sends  down  his  Spirit  to  work 
effectually  in  their  hearts,  and  to  prepare  them  for 
being  with  him  in  glory. 

The  gospel  further  informs  us,  that  the  salvation 
which  Jesus  Christ  has  procured  is  freely  offered 


208         The   Gospel  no   Cause  of  Shame. 

to  the  chief  of  sinners ;  that  whosoever  will,  may 
come  and  receive  it,  and  be  forever  happy;  and 
that  if  any  to  whom  it  is  preached,  shall  perish  at 
last,  they  will  have  nothing  to  blame  but  their  oWn 
wilful,  obstinate  unbelief. 

[  The  application  is  wanting.'] 


ON   STEADFASTNESS 


IN 


RELIGIOUS    SENTIMENT 


vol,.  IV.     14  209 


SERMON    XII. 


ON  STEADFASTNESS  IN  RELIGIOUS   SENTIMENT. 


EPHESIANS   IV.  14. 


That  we  henceforth  he  no  more  children,  tossed  to 
and  fro,  and  carried  ahout  with  every  ivind  of 
doctrine,  hy  the  sleight  of  men,  and  cunning 
craftiness,  ivhereby  they  lie  in  wait  to  deceive. 

The  unity  of  Christians  in  the  faith,  the  growth 
and  strength  of  their  character,  have  much  im- 
portance attached  to  them  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  and 
appear,  if  we  may  use  the  expression,  to  he  very 
near  his  heart  After  his  ascension  to  the  throne 
of  his  glory,  one  of  the  first  acts  of  his  intercession, 
and  of  the  power  of  his  exalted  state,  was  to  make 
provision  for  the  continuance  and  increase  of  these 


212  On  Steadfastness  in 

graces.  When  he  ascended  up  on  high,  he  led 
captivity  captive,  and  gave  gifts  unto  men:  and  he 
gave  some,  apostles ;  and  some,  prophets ;  and  some^ 
evangelists ;  and  some,  ixistors  and  teachers ;  for 
the  perfecting  of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the 
ministry ;  for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ, 
till  we  all  come  in  the  unity  of  the  faith,  and  of  the 
knowledge  of  the  Son  of  God,  unto  a  perfect  man; 
unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fidness  of 
Christ.  What  the  particular  connection  is  be-  , 
tween  his  people's  advancement  in  kno\\'ledge  and 
spiritual  attainments,  and  the  degree  of  happiness 
in  their  unseen  witnesses,  or  what  especial  influ- 
ence it  may  exert  upon  the  general  economy  of  his 
kingdom,  in  the  invisible  world,  we  do  not  know, 
nor  is  it  useful  if  it  were  proper  to  inquire.  But 
we  do  know,  from  the  passage  just  read,  that  what- 
ever is  great  or  magnificent  in  the  office  of  an 
apostle,  or  prophet,  or  evangelist;  whatever  is  use- 
ful or  honorable  in  a  pastor  or  teacher,  if  was  and 
is  conferred  upon  them,  not  for  their  own  sakes, 
but  for  the  sake  of  liis  body,  the  church.  We  are 
furnished  with  ordinances,  and  means  in  every 
variety,  that  there  may  be  no  hindrance  to  our 
profiting  in  the  school  of  Jesus  Christ — that  we 
may  habitually  enlarge  our  knowledge  of  those 
things  which  tJic  angels  desire  to  look  into  ;  and  as 
fellow-students  with  them  of  the  mystery  of  God, 
may  grow   in   the   intelligence  which  they  value, 


Religious  Sentiment.  213 

and  in  fitness  for  their  fellowship,  when,  after  a  few 
days  spent  here,  in  absence  from  the  Lord,  we  shall 
join  their  society  in  his  presence  and  service. 

Surely,  if  sncli  is  our  destination — if  these  the 
prosjTects  which  cheer  us  in  this  vale  of  tears — if 
our  hearts  arc  set  upon  their  invigorating  refresh- 
ment and  peerless  dignity — nothing  can  worse  be- 
come us  than  indifference  about  our  progress  in 
the  Christian  lesson ;  nothing  should  fill  us  with 
deeper  shame  than  the  poor  account  which  most 
of  us  have  to  give  of  the  pains  wasted  upon  our 
spiritual  education,  and  of  our  slowness  of  heart  to 
understand  our  Lord's  instructions.  On  nothing 
should  our  eagerness  be  prompted,  our  ambition 
fired,  and  our  efforts  expended,  more  than  on  this, 
that  ice  henceforth  he  no  more  children,  tossed  to  and 
fro,  and  carried  about  with  every  wind  of  doctrine 
hy  the  sleight  of  men  and  cunning  craftiness,  whei'e- 
hy  they  lie  in  wait  to  deceive. 

It  may  be  of  advantage  to  us  to  consider  some- 
what more  minutely  this  description  of  religious 
children — the  contrast  which  ought  to  mark  our 
chaiacters — and  the  means  and  motives  to  our 
solid  improvement. 

I.  Our  notice  is  drawn  to  the  characters  of  these 
religious  children.  The  apostle  states  it  to  consist 
principally  in  two  things :  fickleness  in  matters  of 
faith,  and  facUity  of  deception  by  designing  men. 

1.  Fickleness  in  matters  of  faith — being  tossed  to 


214  On  Steadfastness  iji 

and  fro,  and  ca7'ried  about  with  every  wind  of  doc- 
trine. 

There  always  has  been  and  always  will  be  a 
desperate  and  deadly  conflict  between  truth  and 
error,  nor  can  there  be  any  compromise  between 
them.     The  bastard   charity  of  the   day  is  very 
clamorous  to  make  us  give  up  all  that  we  account 
precious,  or  at  least  to  compound  with  and  not  to 
molest  their  contraries.     But  the  demand  is  absurd 
and  the  concession  impossible.     It  is  the  nature  of 
truth  to  be  the  most  intolerant  thing  conceivable. 
That  truth  is  and  can  be  but  one.     And  the  Liar 
plays  off  his  most  ancient,  most  extensive,  and  most 
successful  game,  when  he  can  sow  in  the  church 
the  seeds  of  all  sorts  of  discordant  principles  touch- 
ing the  faith  and  hope  of  sinful  men.     In  this,  it  is 
true,  God  does  as  he  does  in  other  cases,  bring  good 
out  of  evil.      There  must  he  heresies  among  you, 
i.  e.  divisions  on  account  of  the  truth,  that  they 
which  are  approved  may  he  made  made  manifest 
among  you.     Thus  it  fared  with  the  churches  in 
the  days  and  under  the  eyes  of  the  apostles  them- 
selves.    The  apostle  Paul  was  constantly  in  armor 
combating  for  the  faith  that  had  been  delivered 
once  for  all  to  the  saints.     Every  gross  corruption 
of  the  gospel,  every  foolish  and  fantastic  whim  in- 
vented and  broached  by  men  of  reprobate  minds, 
or  of  distorted  imagination,  infested  the  churches 
in  as  great  a  variety  as  at  any  later  period.     Per- 


Relisious  Sentiment.  215 


"b 


haps  modern  times  cannot  reckon  a  single  devia- 
tion from  the  gospel,  which  in  form  or  in  substance 
was  not  a  curse  of  the  apostolic  age.  No  sooner 
were  the  pestiferous  notions  started,  than  crowds 
started  and  ran  after  them.  If  any  thing,  in  the 
mean  while,  struck  the  fancy  of  one  who  was  or 
who  wished  to  be  a  leader,  a  part  of  the  crowd 
would  turn  aside  after  him.  Some  of  them,  after 
fatiguing  themselves  in  the  pursuit  of  every  vanity, 
would  perchance  return  to  a  sober  mind,  and  re- 
adhere  to  the  cause  which  they  had  deserted. 
Others  again,  though  cured  of  one  extravagance, 
were  just  as  ready  to  fall'into  another  as  the  occa- 
sion recurred ;  and  many,  proceeding  from  one 
step  to  another  in  their  evil  course,  at  last  made 
shipwreck  of  the  faith  altogether,  and  became 
downright  apostates ;  abandoning  the  grounds  of 
their  confidence  before  God  and  the  comijiunion 
of  his  people,  and  perishing  at  last  in  their  oivn 
corruption.  These  ivere  they  who  separated  them- 
selves ;  sensual,  not  having  the  Spirit.  They  went 
ovT  from  us,  says  John,  but  they  ivere  not  of  us  ; 
for  if  they  had  been  of  us  they  would  have  contin- 
ued loith  us ;  but  they  went  out  that  they  might  he 
made  manifest  that  they  were  not  all  of  us. 

It  is  no  otherwise  yet.  Old  errors  of  every  sort, 
which  have  been  exploded  long  ago,  revive,  are 
new-dressed,  and  recommended  to  the  acceptance 
of  the  religious  world.     I  sayWc?  errors,  for  the 


216  On  Steadfastness  in 

devil's  wit  is  not  inexhaustible ;  and  therefore  his 
delusions,  plausible  though  they  be,  are  only  stale 
artifices  newly  tricked  up  to  catch  the  ignorant 
and  the  conceited.  All  that  the  "rational  Christi- 
anity" of  the  day  glories  in  as  its  own  discoveries, 
has  many  centuries  ago  been  cast  out  of  the  Chris- 
tian church  as  heresies  of  'perdition.  But  come 
when  they  will,  and  how  they  will,  they  are  sure 
of  a  ready  reception,  and  many  abettors  among 
those  who  are  tossed  to  and  fro,  and  are  carried 
about  with  every  wind  of  doctrine.  They,  indeed, 
call  themselves  "philosophers,"  and  "liberal  inqui- 
rers ;"  but  the  apostle  calls  them  by  their  true  name, 
"babies,"  and  will  allow  them  no  place  among 
inquirers  but  the  place  of  those  who  are  ever  learn- 
ing and  never  coming  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth. 
Learn  what  they  will,  the  truth  is  what  they  do 
not  learn  and  never  can  perceive.  They  have  no 
fixed  first  principles ;  nothing  to  keep  them  firm 
and  steady  in  the  hour  of  temptation,  or  to  prei^ent 
them  being  led  away  by  the  error  of  the  wicked. 
In  the  calm  sunshine,  while  there  is  no  disturbance 
of  the  church's  tranquillity,  they  mingle  with  the 
multitude  and  pass  for  Christians.  But  when  the 
storm  gathers,  the  waters  swell,  the  winds  blow, 
they  are  shaken  from  their  ov^^n  steadfastness. 
They  never  were  secured  to  the  rock  of  safety,  but 
lay  loose  and  idle  upon  the  surface.  Now  the 
trial  hath  reached  them,  and  without  strong  moor- 


Religious  Sentiment,  217 

ings,  without  grapplings,  without  anchors,  without 
any  fastenings,  they  are  swept  out  of  the  Christian 
roads,  and  are  the  sport  of  the  waves  and  the  winds 
on  the  trackless  ocean.  Soon  are  they  scattered 
away  from  the  rock ;  and  while  they  run,  swift  as 
the  evil  blast  can  drive  them,  towards  certain  des- 
truction, they  are  elated,  ignorant  as  they  are,  with 
the  rapidity  of  their  course,  until  they  are  suddenly 
dashed  among  the  breakers,  or  ingulfed  in  the  bil- 
lows, or  absorbed  in  the  quicksands.  Thus  termi- 
nates their  adventurous  speculation,  and  the  last 
news  of  the  poor  souls  is,  "  they  perished  !" 

I  have  been  referring  to  those  errors,  in  the 
success  of  which  the  Destroyer  goes  directly  to  his 
proper  work,  the  irretrievable  ruin  of  men.  But  a 
capital  error  seldom  comes  alone ;  so  there  are 
many  sjnaller  deviations  from  the  soundness  of  the 
faith  which  attend  the  steps  and  prepare  the  way 
for  that  which  strikes  at  the  foundation  of  entire 
Christianity.  It  is  melancholy  and  ahnost  incredi- 
ble to  see  what  a  mere  puff  of  wind  is  sufficient  to 
drive  many  a  gallant  looking  vessel  out  of  her 
course  ;  and  the  odds  are  infinitely  against  her,  but 
before  she  recovers  it,  she  falls  among  enemies  who 
decoy  her  to  her  ruin.  Without  figure,  you  often 
find  those  who,  upon  the  whole,  are  friendly  to  the 
truth ;  yet  by  the  merest  trifle  in  the  world — 
something  which  appears  to  them  ingenious  when 
it  is  only   absurd — something   which    is    recom- 


218  On  Steadfastness  in 

mended  by  a  respectable  name  —  something  of 
which  the  whole  attraction  is  its  supposed  novelty 
—  turns  them  aside  from  "  the  old  paths  where  is 
the  good  way." 

The  swarms  of  little  sects  which  spring  up  and 
die  almost  as  soon  as  they  are  known,  yet  for  the 
time  being  vex  the  friends  and  furnish  matter  of 
exultation  to  the  foes  of  evangelical  doctrine,  owe 
their  origin  for  the  most  part  to  a  paltry  individual 
vanity.  The  peace  of  the  church  is  broken  ;  her 
strength  is  divided;  the  jvigor  of  her  sons  is  im- 
paired by  foolish  contentions.  The  wily  adver- 
sary does  not  let  the  occasion  slip.  Many  who 
set  out  with  an  apparent  trifle,  do  not  end  till  they 
have  made  inroads  upon  the  substantial  truth ;  and 
Christians  are  called  to  struggle  with  an  enemy 
who  has  already  penetrated  their  camp.  On  such 
fickle  beings  you  never  can  count ;  they  want  that 
sobriety  of  mind,  that  Christian  common  sense, 
which  is  proof  against  such  small  attacks,  and  is 
infinitely  better  for  preserving  the  order  and  the 
truth  of  God  pure  and  entire,  than  the  finest  genius 
and  the  profoundest  learning  can  be  without  it. 

2.  Liableness  to  imposition  by  the  arts  of  the 
insidious  is  another  character  of  these  religious 
children. 

Error,  when  seen  in  its  true  colors,  is  rather  apt 
to  deter  than  to  allure.  Nor  is  there,  perhaps,  a 
single   one   which,   if  exhibited    without   disguise, 


Religions  Sentiment.  219, 

would  ever  succeed  in  making  proselytes.  Even 
children  would  be  too  sagacious  for  such  dupery. 
Accordingly,  its  approaches  are  conducted  with 
caution  and  address.  It  is  very  careful  not  to 
alarm  suspicion  or  excite  prejudice.  Concealment 
is  its  very  life.  Its  abettors  will  pretend  that  your 
faith  and  theirs,  however  they  may  differ  upon 
speculative  points,  come  nearer  to  each  other  on  all 
questions  of  practice  than  you  are  ready  to  admit. 
They  will  enumerate  a  number  of  things  which  no 
man  in  his  senses  ever  thinks  of  disputing ;  and 
when  there  is  no  gainsaying  them  in  these  matters 
they  will  leave  you,  if  they  are  master-workmen, 
to  draw  the  inference  that,  after  all,  they  cannot  be 
so  far  wrong  as  some  would  persuade  you ;  well 
knowing  tliat  the  great  obstacle  to  your  conversion 
is  surmounted  when  you  arc  brought,  by  this  piece 
of  craft,  to  form  a  favorable  opinion  of  their  tenets. 
But  you  have  already  entered  into  temptation  ;  you 
have  already  set  your  foot  in  the  path  which  goes 
down  to  death,  and  if  God  in  his  great  mercy  do 
not  enable  you  to  make  a  speedy  retreat,  your  ruin 
is  inevitable.  Take  it  then  at  the  very  beginning, 
as  a  simple  rule,  and  of  easy  and  sure  appHcation, 
The  man  who  equivocates  in  religious  matters, 
who  declines  giving  you  a  prompt  explanation  of 
his  views,  and  rather  evades  j-our  inquiries  than 
meets  them,  that  man  is  a  deceiver  and  an  Anti- 
christ.    Truth  was  not  intended  to  be  smuggled. 


220  On  Steadfastness  in 

A  city  set  on  a  hill  cannot  be  hid,  nor  is  a  lighted 
candle  to  be  put  under  a  bushel.  Preach  the  word, 
is  the  commandment  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ; 
and  the  teacher  who  does  not  do  it  franklv,  so  that 
men  may  not  only  understand  his  meaning,  but 
cannot  possibly  misunderstand  it,  when  treating  of 
our  eternal  peace,  is  an  enemy  to  our  happiness 
and  to  our  Lord.  Avoid  him  as  you  would  a  pes- 
tilence. My  contempt  and  horror  embrace  all 
those,  who,  after  years  of  pubhc  ministrations,  leave 
their  people  in  doubt  what  their  sentiments  are. 
Truth  is  not  with  them  the  infinitely  important  in- 
terest. Their  prospect  is  that  of  a  fearful  reckon- 
ing with  that  Saviour,  wlio  came  into  the  icorld 
that  he  anight  hear  witness  to  tlie  truth ;  and  even 
here  it  is  the  duty  of  his  church  to  spew  them  out 
of  her  mouth. 

3.  Another  artifice  of  those  who  lie  in  wait  to 
deceive,  is  the  wrapping  up  of  their  deceptions  in 
scriptural  phrases,  and  even  in  the  language  which 
is  consecrated  by  the  usage  of  the  Christian  church. 
Every  thing  sounds  fair  and  looks  well;  has  a 
pious  air,  and  apparently  a  sound  sense;  and  ihey 
may  notwithstanding  be  inculcating  the  most  dam- 
nable errors,  and  converting  the  very  word  of  God 
into  a  vehicle  for  the  poison.  Undoubtedly  the  in- 
spired word  expresses  revealed  truth  in  the  most 
precise  and  proper  manner.  And  the  objection  to 
these  men  is,  not  that  they  quote  the  scriptures,  but 


Religious  Sentiment.  221 


"& 


that  they  quote  them  fraudulently.  The  cheat  lies 
here — the  passages  quoted  have,  from  time  imme- 
morial, borne  in  the  church  of  God  a  definite  sense. 
You  of  course  understand  them  in  that  received 
sense.  But  you  are  not  aware  that  these  apostles 
of  error,  take  them  in  quite  a  different  sense,  they 
and  you  use  the  same  terms,  but  you  do  not  intend 
the  same  thing ;  and  when  they  think  you  are  not 
drilled  quite  enough,  they  will  never  have  the  can- 
dor to  undeceive  you.  They  will  let  out  in  other 
places  and  at  other  times,  as  far  as  they  judge  it 
prudent,  what  their  meaning  is ;  and  in  the  mean- 
while you  are  become  so  accustomed  to  hear  this 
perversion  of  holy  writ,  that  your  minds  are  de- 
bauched from  the  simplicity  of  Christ,  and  you  im- 
perceptibly slide  into  the  pit  they  have  digged  for 
you.  Sometimes,  indeed,  this  trick  overshoots  the 
mark.  It  is  related  of  John  Taylor,  the  famous 
Arian  of  Norwich,  that  he  gave  mortal  oifence  to 
an  Arian  congregation  in  London  by  the  use  of 
scripture  language.  His  hearers,  like  people  of 
that  class  everywhere,  were  not  much  acquainted 
with  their  bibles,  and  mistook  him  for  an  old-fash- 
ioned puritan  !  Thus  the  common  sense  of  man- 
kind, even  of  Arians  themselves,  when  they  are  not 
put  on  their  guard,  decided  that  whatever  the  Bible 
teaches,  it  does  not  teach  Arianism. 

4.  A  fourth  stratagem  of  deceivers  is  an  affecta- 
tion  of  unbounded  liberality  and  charity. 


222       ,  On  Steadfastness  in 

Nothing  is  so  odious  in  their  eyes  as  bigotry. 
Why  must  you  claim  the  exckisive  privilege  of  be- 
ing in  the  right?  Why  is  not  another  man's  opin- 
ion as  good  as  your  own  ?  Why  not  allow  your 
neighbors  the  privilege  of  which  you  arc  so  tena- 
cious, the  privilege  of  thinking  for  themselves  ! 
Why  must  your  charity  be  confined  to  sects  or 
principles  ?  Cannot  a  man  be  distinguished  for 
Christian  virtues,  and  exemplary  in  ihe  discharge 
of  his  Christian  duties,  a  sincere  lover  of  the  truth, 
and  ardent  in  the  pursuit  of  it,  unless  all  his  ideas 
of  propriety  be  squared  by  your  own  rule?  How 
terrible  that  the  religion  of  peace  should  set  friends 
quarreling  ?  How  unworthy  of  the  good  will 
which  the  gospel  was  intended  to  cherish,  and  of 
the  generous  philanthropy  of  its  Divine  Author! 
All  this  is  \eYy  fine,  no  doubt ;  for  plausible  talk  : 
but  in  the  mouths  of  the  crafty  nothing  but  talk  ; 
yet  its  effect  is  to  overthrow  the  faith  of  some,  who 
from  want  of  discrimination,  from  a  softness  of 
mind,  from  not  suspecting  any  mischief  with  so 
benevolent  a  face,  from  not  having  nerves  to  with- 
stand a  little  raillery,  from  the  joint  power  of  ridi- 
cule and  flattery,  run  headlong  into  the  arms  of  a 
fiend,  and  from  a  dread  of  bigotry  adopt  ruinous 
heresy.  On  all  which  I  crave  leave  to  submit  a 
remark  or  two. 

(1.)  They  who  are  so  very  anxious  about  the 
liberty  of  thinking  for  themselves,  mean  in  reality 


Rellsious  Sentiment.  223 


"b 


the  liberty  of  thin  king /<?r  you  and  thinking  through 
yon.  Who  hinders  them  from  thinking  and  speak- 
ing too  \  Who  meddles  with  their  thoughts  or 
their  speech,  until  they  invade  the  sanctuary  of  our 
own  faith  ?  Then  if  they  be  resisted — if  every 
thing  is  not  yielded  to  them  as  a  matter  of  course, 
if  we  exercise  the  right  of  thinking  and  speak- 
ing— they  are  vastly  indignant.  Then  come  forth 
the  lamentations  about  the  lack  of  charity,  and  all 
the  whinings  about  "bigotry"  and  "persecution,"  of 
which  the  true  grievance  is  that  they  cannot  pro- 
voke something  which  might  appear  worthy  of  the 
name.  But  do  you  shut  your  mouths  and  allow 
them  to  have  all  the  representation  in  their  own 
way — let  them  without  contradiction  or  opposition 
spread  their  doctrines  and  instil  their  poison 
throughout  the  community — and  you  will  doubtless 
be  lauded  for  your  liberality  and  charity  ! 

(2.)  My  second  remark  is,  that  after  all,  the 
truths  of  the  gospel  are  not  matters  of  human  opin  • 
ion,  nor  have  you  any  right  to  treat  them  so.  They 
are  facts  about  which  our  appeal  must  lie  to  the 
veracity  of  God  speaking  in  his  word.  He  has 
committed  them  to  us  as  a  sacred  deposit,  which 
we  are  ordered  to  keep  pure  and  entire,  contend- 
ing earnestly  for  them,  and  are  not  at  liberty  to 
make  a  compromise  of  them  with  any  opinions 
whatsoever. 

(3.)  Once  more.     This  profession  about  "  libe- 

4f 


224  Oji  Steadfastness  in 

ralitj"  and  "charity,"  is  a  mere  artifice  of  impos- 
ture. No  men  have  less  of  it  than  they  whose 
boast  of  it  is  the  loudest.  How  do  they  exult  and 
triumph  in  the  misconduct  of  any  who  hold  sounder 
principles  than  themselves  X  Now,  if  the  apostle 
understood  the  nature  of  charity  when  he  said 
that  she  rejoiceth  not  in  iniquity,  they  who  do  so 
rejoice  proclaim  that  they  are  utterly  destitute  of 
its  influence. 

You  shall  find  these  advocates  for  charity,  when 
they  are  in  mixed  companies,  all  gentleness,  all  for- 
bearance, with  nothing,  but  tlie  milk  of  human 
kindness ;  but  when  they  arc  by  themselves,  to 
use  the  expression  of  one  who  had  been  once  of 
their  party,  "  bitter  enough."  In  short,  of  all  the 
sects  which  are  abi-oad  in  the  world,  not  excepting 
even  the  followers  of  the  man  of  sin,  there  arc 
none  which  occasionally  evince  more  virulence  and 
violence  of  feeling,  nor  a  more  persecuting  temper, 
than  these  same  smooth-tongued  praisers  of  char- 
ity. Of  all  thejjigots  on  this  earth,  let  me  be  far- 
thest from  the  bigot  to  modern  liberality. 

Let  us  now  turn  our  eyes  for  a  moment, 

II.  To  the  contrast  which  w^e  ou";ht  to  exhibit 
to  these  religious  children.  That  ye  he  no  more 
children.     We  should  then  display, 

1.  Intelligence.  I  know  not  how  it  has  come  to 
pass;  but  such  is  the  fact,  that  hearers  of  the  gos- 
pel arc  prone  to  take  their  profession  upon   trust. 


Religious  Sentiment.  226 

They  think,  or  act  as  if  they  thought,  that  any 
particular  acquaintance  with  its  principles  and 
proofs,  belongs  exclusively  to  the  ministry.  They 
commit  the  interests  of  their  property  to  the  law- 
yer ;  of  their  bodies  to  the  physician ;  and  as  for 
their  immortal  souls,  the  clergyman  may  look  after 
them,  if  he  pleases.  In  this  spirit  of  listlessness  do 
they  hear  the  gospel,  and  forget  it  almost  as  soon 
as  heard.  But  for  diligent  inquiry — for  ascertain- 
ing with  their  own  eyes  and  understandings  what 
are  revealed  truths,  on  points  too  of  infinite  mo- 
ment— for  searching  the  scriptures  daily,  whether 
these  things  which  they  are  taught  from  the  pulpit 
are  really  so,  why  it's  what  no  genteel  professor 
ever  thinks  about.  The  consequence  is,  and  must 
be,  that  they  are  mere  children  in  the  most  impor- 
tant of  all  knowledge — even  men  of  high  respec- 
tability for  talents  and  research  in  other  things, 
betray  the  most  surprising  ignorance  of  the  Bible. 
No  wonder  that  they  are  carried  about  by  every 
wind  of  doctrine,  and  fall  helpless  victims  into  the 
snares  of  those  who  lie  in  wait  to  deceive.  At 
the  same  time,  if  they  happen  to  get  any  crude  and 
undigested  notions  of  Christian  truth,  they  are  as 
obstinate  and  positive  in  maintaining  their  own 
hasty  views,  as  if  they  had  studied  the  scriptures 
all  their  lives  long.  My  friends,  this  will  not  do. 
Have  you  not  immortal  souls  ]  Do  you  know  when 
they  will  be  required  of  you  ?    Are  you  fully  aware 

VOL.  IV.       15 


226  On  Steadfastness  in 

of  their  natural  condition  ;  and  what  is  requisite  to 
their  eternal  happiness  ?  On  all  these  questions  the 
Bible  treats  plainly  and  decisively.  It  fairly  warns 
you  that  a  mistake  is  very  possible,  very  common, 
and  infinitely  dangerous.  Is  it  a  waste  of  time, 
think  you,  to  know  what  it  really  does  determine? 
Is  the  message  of  the  great  and  terrible  God,  to 
men,  to  you,  to  you  personally,  to  be  thrown  aside 
with  less  ceremony  than  a  daily  newspaper,  and 
without  an  effort  so  much  as  to  understand  what 
he  says  ?  And  all  your  awful  concern  in  it  to  be 
tossed  away  with  a  carelessness  which  makes  the 
angels  tremble  ?  Do  you  consider,  while  you  in- 
dulge this  supineness,  while  you  neglect  to  become 
proficients  in  the  knowledge  of  that  wisdom  which 
cometh  from  above,  you  are  habitual  breakers  of 
God's  commandments,  in  as  high  and  in  a  higher 
degree,  than  if  you  were  common  drunkards, 
thieves,  adulterers,  and  prostitutes  \  Rouse  from 
your  slumbers,  or  you  may  see  stranger  things  than 
publicans  and  harlots  going  into  the  kingdom  of 
God  before  your  faces,  and  leaving  you  with  all 
your  decencies,  your  morals,  your  accomplishments, 
your  respectability,  to  beg  for  admission  and  be  re- 
fused. Strive  to  enter  in  at  the  straight  gate.  Aim 
at  being  not  only  Christians,  but  intelligent  Chris- 
tians. Study  that  great  charter  of  your  salvation, 
the  Bible,  until,  by  God's  rich  blessing,  you  shall 
always  he  ready  to  give  a  reason  of  the  hope  that  is 


,  Religious  Sentiment.  227 

within  you,  and  no  longer  be  ranked  as  children, 
nor  be  considered  as  an  easy  prey  to  them  who  He 
in  wait  to  deceive. 

2.  The  "second  attribute  of  Christian  charac- 
ter as  opposed  to  the  infirmities  of  children,  is 
firmness. 

In  religious,  as  in  other  life,  the  plausible,  are  the 
least  solid,  and  the  least  to  be  trusted.  They  who 
have  arrived  at  what  the  scriptures  call  perfection, 
who  have  grown  up  into  Christian  manhood,  are 
not  to  be  moved  away  from  the  hope  of  the  gospel 
by  smooth  stories  and  bland  professions ;  nor  to  be 
cajoled  out  of  their  faith  concerning  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  by  pretenders  to  new  illumination,  or  more 
expansive  charity.  Beloved,  says  John,  believe  not 
every  spirit,  hut  try  the  spirits  whether  they  he  of 
God;  hecause  many  false  prophets  are  gone  out  into 
the  world.  And  they  are  to  try  them  hy  their  doc- 
trines, especially,  adds  the  apostle,  try  their  doc- 
trines concerning  the  person  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  Every  spirit  that  confesseth  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  come  in  the  fiesh,  is  of  God ;  and  every 
spirit  that  confesseth  not  that  Jesus  Christ  is  come 
in  the  fiesh,  is  not  of  God.  Do  you  think  the  in- 
sipid, the  frigid  notion,  that  Jesus  Christ  was  horn, 
like  any  other  man,  gives  you  the  meaning,  or 
touches  the  emphasis,  of  his  coming  in  the  fiesh  ? 
A  Christian,  that  is  a  settled,  established  Christian, 
is  not  thus  to  be   fooled  and  wheedled  out  of  the 


228  On  Steadfastness  in 

true  doctrine  of  his  Redeemer,  and  of  eternal  life 
along  with  it.  Ten  sheep- skins,  ever  so  artfully 
put  on,  cannot  conceal  the  insidious  wolf.  His 
voice  betrays  him,  and  the  real  sheep  flee  from  him. 
It  is  no  new  thing  for  Satan  to  be  transformed  into 
an  angel  of  light ;  nor  his  ministers  as  ministers  of 
righteousness.  A  well-trained  Christian  will  use 
the  freedom  to  look  under  this  angel  mask — to  in- 
quire how  far  the  resemblance  to  ministers  of 
righteousness  goes — and  by  faithfully  and  fearlessly 
applying  the  apostle's  rule,  will  speedily  detect  both 
the  devil  and  his  ministers.  He  has  told  us  how 
these  gentry,  the  ministers  of  Satan,  must  be  treat- 
ed. If  there  come  any  unto  you,  viz.  with  the  pre- 
tensions of  a  teacher,  and  bring  not  this  doctrine, 
the  doctrine  of  Christ  as  come  in  the  flesh,  receive 
him  not  into  your  house,  neither  hid  him  God  speed, 
for  he  that  biddeth  him  God  speed,  is  partaker  of 
his  evil  deeds.  He  carries  his  master's  mark  in  his 
forehead.  Christians,  who  are  enlisted  under  the 
Captain  of  salvation,  are  to  allow  no  place  to  such 
an  Antichrist — far  less  do  any  thing  to  encourage 
him.  There  must  be  no  half  measures — no  parley- 
ing— no  pausing.  Shut  your  doors  upon  liim  saith 
the  inspired  direction,  and  let  him  go  where  the 
devil  and  his  doctrines  are  in  better  repute.  If  not, 
if  you  are  frightened  by  the  terror  of  an  ill  name, 
if  you  are  unable  to  stand  the  small  shot  of  Anti- 
christ, and  begin  to  tremble  and  tamper  when  the 


Religious  Sentiment.  229 

breath  of  the  evil  one  approaches  you — look  well 
to  yourself;  you  are  in  a  fair  way  of  changing 
your  professed  service,  of  being  disowned  by  Jesus 
Christ,  and  linking  yourself  forever  with  the  devil 
and  his  angels.  Let  it  be  known,  Christians, 
openly  known,  so  that  there  can  be  no  mistake, 
that  you  have  neither  hearts,  nor  hands,  nor  ears, 
for  any,  who,  upon  whatever  pretext,  would  unset- 
tle your  faith  on  the  Son  of  God.  So  that  men 
may  save  you  the  pain,  and  themselves  the  judg- 
ment, of  trying  to  break  up  your  trust  for  eternity, 
and  of  persuading  you  to  lay  another  foundation 
than  that  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ. 

III.  The  means  of  our  preservation  and  solid 
improvement  are  very  obvious  and  simple. 

1.  Be  students  of  the  holy  scriptures  ;  search 
them  ;  dig  in  them  as  for  hidden  treasures,  and  you 
shall  find  that  which  will  make  you  wise  to  salva- 
tion, while  the  scorner  seeketh  wisdom  and  findeth 
it  not.  But  remember  that  he  who  gave  them  for 
a  Hght  to  your  feet  and  a  lamp  to  your  paths,  must 
open  your  eyes  before  you  shall  see  wonderful 
things  in  his  law.  Sweet,  and  blessed,  and  freely 
given  are  his  gracious  teachings.  Did  not  our 
hearts  hum  ivithin  us,  said  one  disciple  to  the 
other,  ivhile  he  talked  with  us  by  the  way,  and  while 
he  opened  to  us  the  scriptures  ? 

2.  Repress  vain  curiosity.     Inquire  not  into  the 

reason  of  those  things  which  are  to  be  received  ok 

r 


230  On  Steadfastness  in 

the  credit  of  the  divine  testimony.  Be  satisfied 
that  the  Lord  hath  said  it,  and  ask  no  farther. 
They,  who  boldly  intrude  into  those  things  ivhich 
they  have  not  seen,  may  pretend  what  they  please; 
but  you  have  the  highest  authority  in  earth  or 
heaven  for  being  assured  that  they  arc  only  vainly 
puffed  up  by  their  Jleshly  mind,  and  with  all  their 
knowledge  or  speculations,  can  do  you  nothing 
but  harm. 

3.  Open  not  your  ears  to  the  suggestion  of  new 
light  and  new  discoveries  in  religion.  "  The  true 
Christ  is  no  new  Christ."  He  is  the  same  yester- 
day, and  to-day,  and  forever.  There  is  no  room 
for  discoveries  in  God's  revelation  for  the  salvation 
of  men.  The  revelation  is  itself  the  discovery. 
You  are  not  to  look  for  a  new  way  to  heaven. 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  way,  and  the  truth,  and  the  life; 
no  man  cometh  to  the  Father  but  by  him.  This 
has  been  the  divine  method  from  the  very  begin- 
ning. That  which  a  thousand  years  ago  brought 
his  sons  and  daughters  to  glory,  viz.  the  making 
the  Captain  of  their  salvation  perfect  through  suf- 
ferings, must  bring  you  thither,  or  your  arrival 
there  is  hopeless.  And  as  to  the  new  light,  which 
is  the  boast  of  those  who  turn  aside  from  tiie  holy 
commandment  delivered  unto  them,  rely  upon  it,  it 
is  nothing  but  a  new  edition  of  old  darkness,  only 
resembling  more  than  it  did  the  dunnest  smoke 
of  hell. 


Religious  Sentiment.  231 

4.  Keep  especially  clear  of  uncommon  pretend- 
ers to  charity.  Satan  will  mask  his  designs  so  long 
as  he  can,  and  so  will  all  his  ministers.  Believe 
that  God  is  love,  that  he  is  the  great  and  essential 
Charity.  Be  satisfied  then  with  as  much  charity 
as  he  has  shown,  and  do  not  think  of  improving 
upon  your  Maker,  by  entertaining  and  expressing 
a  more  charitable  opinion  of  sinners  than  himself. 
He  hath  said,  and  will  make  it  good,  and  see  that 
your  charity  do  not  trench  upon  his  truth,  he  hath 
said,  gainsay  it  who  will,  He  that  helieveth  not 
shall  be  damned. 

IV.  Lastly,  we  have  abundant  motives  for  our 
Christian  cultivation. 

The  angels  are  our  fellow-students,  and  in  some 
particulars  of  their  education  Christians  have  the 
preference.  Their  first  knowledge  of  God's  gra- 
cious design  of  forming  Jews  and  Gentiles  into  one 
family  with  themselves,  under  Christ  the  head, 
they  got  from  the  church,  and  probably  from  the 
revelations  made  to  Paul.  To  the  intent,  says  that 
great  proficient  in  sacred  things,  that  now  unto  the 
principalities  and  powers  in  heavenly  places  might 
he  made  known  by  the  church  the  manifold  wis- 
dom of  God.  If  the  thought  of  being  scholars  in 
the  same  school,  and  learners  of  the  same  things, 
with  those  blessed  beings,  does  not  raise  in  your 
minds  the  glory  of  your  studies,  and  cause  you  to 
strain  every  nerve  in  patient  and  persevering  ap- 


232  On  Steadfastness  in 

plication,  that  you  may  be  fit  to  hold  converse  with 
them  when  you  shall  throw  off  this  body,  it  is  not 
for  the  speech  of  earth  to  tell  the  baseness  of  your 
spirits ;  eternity  must  find  the  proper  expressions. 

Moreover,  every  advance  in  true  scriptural  know- 
ledge advances  you  at  the  same  time  in  righteous- 
ness and  true  holiness,  deepens  and  brightens  the 
features  of  the  divine  image,  and  is  a  step  in  your 
heavenly  promotion;  for  they  that  he  wise  shall 
shine  as  the  sun  in  the  kingdom  of  their  Father. 

Farther,  every  victory  over  error  renders  every 
succeeding  one  more  easy.  Resist  the  devil  and  he 
will  Jlee  from  you.  And  when  the  chief  has  taken 
himself  to  flight,  his  subalterns  will  not  be  long  in 
quitting  the  field.  It  is  the  Ji7'st  attack  in  which 
they  are  most  furious,  and  lay  the  basis  of  their 
future  success.  Foiled  here,  they  become  less 
troublesome.  Satan  and  his  servants  have  some- 
thing else  to  do  with  their  time  and  talents  than 
to  waste  them  upon  fruitless  attempts. 

Once  more.  Not  only  will  your  duty  become 
easier  in  proportion  as  you  faithfully  perform  it, 
but  every  advantage  gained  over  the  foe,  draws 
you  into  closer  communion  with  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  It  is  in  his  strength  that  you  withstand 
and  conquer.  His  glory  gains  by  every  achieve- 
ment performed  in  his  name.  You  press  hard  upon 
his  steps  as  a  victorious  Saviour,  and  are  safe,  as 
you  are  near  him.     He  notes  and  he  rewards  your 


Religious  Sentiment.  233 

efforts.  To  him  that  overcometh,  is  his  magnificent 
promise,  ivill  I  grant  to  sit  down  with  me  on  my 
throne,  even  as  I  also  overcame  and  am  set  down  with 
my  Father  on  his  throne. 

Wherefore,  mj  beloved  brethren,  be  steadfast, 
immoveable,  always  abounding  in  the  work  of  the 
Lord,  forasmuch  as  ye  know  that  your  labor  is  not 
in  vain  in  the  Lord.     Amen  ! 


Dr.  MASON'S 

SPEECH 

RELATIVE    TO    THE    RESIGNATION 


OF   HIS 


PASTORAL     CHARGE 

IN    THB 

CITY    OF    NEW-YORK. 


PREFACE. 


In  obtruding  his  personal  concerns  upon  the 
public,  an  individual  subjects  himself,  and  for  the 
most  part  justly,  to  the  charge  of  egotism.  But 
when  the  public  condescend  to  honor  him  and  his 
affairs  with  their  notice,  the  respect  which  he  owes 
to  their  opinion  imposes  on  him  the  duty  of  pre- 
venting or  correcting  mistakes  which  may  be 
greatly  injurious  to  himself.  Had  the  author  of 
the  following  pages  received  only  a  tolerable  share 
of  candor  from  many  who  had  easy  access  to  the 
truth  ;  had  not  his  feelings  been  wantonly  sported 
with,  and  his  character  cruelly  assailed ;  had  not 
representations  tending  to  degrade  him  in  the  es- 
teem of  the  community,  been  industriously  circu- 
lated ;  he  had  never  offered  to  the  public  eye  a 
single  line  on  so  small  a  subject  as  the  resignation 


238  Preface. 

of  his  pastoral  charge.  The  necessity  created  by 
disingenuous  treatment  is  his  only  apology  for  com- 
mitting his  explanations  to  the  press  ;  and  he  trusts 
that  by  all  good  and  honorable  men  it  will  be 
thought  sufficient. 

J.  M.  Mason. 
Philadelphia,  9th  June,  1810. 


NOTE. 

Excepting  some  slight  verbal  corections ;  the  addition,  in  a 
few  instances,  of  a  sentence  or  part  of  a  sentence,  not  varying 
the  argument,  nor  altering  the  meaning ;  and  the  insertion  of 
a  paragraph  which  happened  to  be  omitted  in  the  delivery,  the 
ensuing  speech  is  printed  exactly  as  it  was  spoken. 


DR.   MASON'S   SPEECH, 

ETC. 


Associate  Reformed  Presbytery  of  New- York, 
Thursday  Evening,  May  2ith,  1810. 

PRESENT, 

Rev.  James  Mathews,  Moderator. 
Ministers.  Ruling  Elders. 

JAMES    SCRIMGEOUR,  GEORGE    LINDSAY, 

JOHN    M.    MASON,    D.D.  DERICK    AMERMAN, 

JOHN    M'JIMSEY,  PETER    R.    SPRAINGER. 
GEORGE    STEWART. 

Dr.  Mason  called  up  the  papers  which  he  pre- 
sented to  the  Presbytery  on  the  17th  instant,  at 
Newburgh ;  which  were  read,  as  follows,  viz : 

No.l. 

"  To  the  Moderator  and  Members  of  the  Associate 
Reformed  Presbytery  of  New-  York,  to  meet  at 
Newburgh,  on  Wednesday  the  \^th  day  of  May 
instant. 

"  Reverend  Brethren  : — Serious  reflection, 
often  repeated,  and,  for  a  considerable  time  past 


240  Dr.  Masons  Speech,  Sfc. 

habitual;  accompanied  also,  if  I  do  not  entirely 
mistake,  with  scrupulous  caution  and  fervent 
prayer  against  an  improper  bias,  has  convinced 
me  that  my  longer  continuance  in  my  present  con- 
gregational charge,  will  be  favorable  neither  to  my 
own  peace,  nor  to  my  people's  benefit,  nor  to  the 
general  interests  of  our  church. 

"  Not  that  I  have  ought  to  accuse  my  people  of. 
Their  fidelity  to  their  engagements;  their  kindness 
to  myself;  their  respectful  attention  to  my  minis- 
try; their  public  spirit;  their  orderly  deportment, 
ever  since  my  settlement  among  them,  have  en- 
deared them  to  my  heart,  and  shall  forever  sweeten 
the  memory  of  my  relation  to  them. 

"  But  I  find,  by  experience,  that  parochial  cares, 
to  which  my  own  judgment  not  less  than  my  ordi- 
nation vows,  attaches  high  importance,  are  incom- 
patible with  the  work  which  the  Head  of  the 
Church  has  been  pleased  to  assign  to  me ;  and,  ac- 
cordingly, I  do  not  so  much  as  pretend  to  perform 
the  duties  resulting  from  them. 

"  I  see  the  congregation  sufiering  for  want  of  an 
efficient  pastoral  inspection  ;  and  I  anticipate,  with 
alarm,  the  consequences  of  this  evil,  unless  pre- 
ventive measures  be  adopted  speedily. 

"  I  have  used,  without  success,  the  only  means 
in  my  power  to  avoid  the  step  which  I  am  now 
forced  to  take. 

"  My  congregation  are  fully  apprised  of  my  in- 


Dr.  Masons  Speech,  Sfc.  241 

tention,  and  my  reasons ;  as  will  appear  from  the 
document  herewith  presented.  The  decisive  ex- 
pressions there  used  are  to  be  interpreted  simply  of 
my  resolution  to  pursue  my  present  application ; 
and  not  as  interfering,  in  any  degree,  with  the  sub- 
mission which  I  owe  to  the  authority  of  the  Lord's 
house. 

"I  am  forbidden  by  every  Christian  principle, 
and  by  every  honorable  sentiment,  to  retain  a  sta- 
tion of  which  I  cannot  fulfil  the  duties.  I  am 
equally  forbidden  to  sacrifice  the  greater  trust  to 
the  less ;  and  as  faithfulness  to  both  cannot  co- 
exist, I  have  only  the  afflicting  alternative  of  pray- 
ing the  Reverend  Presbytery  to  release  me  from 
my  pastoral  connection." 

"J.  M.  Mason. 

*' New- York,  8th  Mmj,  1810." 

No.  2. 

"  To  the  Meinhers  of  the  First  Associate  Reformed 
Church  in  the  City  of  New-  York. 

"  Christian  Brethren  : — I  have  requested 
your  attendance  this  evening,  in  order  to  lay  bo- 
fore  you  the  result  of  my  reflections  upon  a  subject 
which  has  long  been  a  source  of  painful  uneasi- 
ness to  my  mind. 

"  It  is  now  nearly  seventeen  years  since  it  pleased 
God  to  call  me  to  the   ministry  of  reconciliation, 

VOL.  IV.       16 


242  Dr.  Mason's  Speech,  8^-c. 

and  to  assign  me  to  this  congregation  as  the  imme- 
diate scene  of  my  labors.  The  flower  of  my  days 
has  been  spent  with  you.  The  course  of  my  ser- 
vices has  been  marked  with  much  imperfection 
and  many  faikires ;  but  marked  also,  as  I  humbly 
hope,  by  some  degree  of  acceptance  with  God,  and 
usefulness  to  man,  Being  the  sole  pastor  of  the 
congregation,  I  was  bound  to  perform  all  the  du- 
ties of  that  responsible  office  in  so  far  as  I  was 
really  able.  For  several  years  after  my  settlement 
among  you,  the  state  of  my  health,  as  you  well  re- 
member, forbad,  almost  altogether,  my  discharge  of 
those  important  functions,  which  are  comprehended 
under  the  general  term  oi  Parochial  duty.  When 
this  impediment  was  removed,  others  were  created 
by  trusts  and  employments  so  extensive  in  their 
nature,  and  so  imperious  in  their  obligation,  as  to 
demand  my  first  care,  and  to  consume  the  leisure 
which  I  should  otherwise  have  enjoyed.  Thus 
year  after  year  has  glided  by,  duties  of  high  mo- 
ment to  your  welfare  have  been  unfulfilled,  and  the 
prospect  of  their  being  fulfilled  by  me,  is  more  dis- 
tant than  ever, 

"  Perceiving,  as  I  do,  their  absolute  necessity  to 
your  prosperity ;  knowing  that  the  omission  of 
them  gradually  weakens  the  bond  of  affection 
which  should  closely  unite  a  pastor  and  his  people; 
estranges  the  mind  of  individual  members  from  the 
sense    of  their    connnon    interest  in  each   other ; 


Dr.  Mason's  Speech,  Sfc.  243 

enfeebles  the  power  of  social  action  ;  and  relaxes 
the  nerves  of  efficient  discipline.     Persuaded  that 
Christian    instruction,    exhortation,    reproof,    and 
consolation,  are  circumscribed  in  their  influence, 
and  lose  much  of  their  effect,  when  they  are  not 
brought  home  by  a   discreet  exercise  of  pastoral 
inspection;   and   accounting   the  respect   paid   to 
merely  public  talent  but  a  meagre  substitute  for  that 
ardent  attachment    which  dies   away   under  the 
suspicion  of  neglect ;  feeling,  I  say,  the  weight  of 
these  considerations,  it  is  impossible  for  my  heart 
to  be  tranquil.     My  inquietude  does  not. arise  from 
self-reproach.      As    the    highest   of  all    authority, 
even  the  indisputable  authority  of  Him  whose  I  am 
and  whom  I  serve,  has  released  me  from  parochial 
duties,  by  calling  me  to  others  which   are  incom- 
patible with  them,   my  conscience   is  pure.     My 
anxiety  is  caused   by  the  damage  which  your  in- 
terests must  sustain   in  consequence  of  parochial 
duties  not  being  performed  at  all.     Your  patience 
under  the  privation,  and  your  kindness  to  me  per- 
sonally,  increase,   instead   of   diminishing  my  dif- 
ficulty.    These  things  I  frankly  communicated  to 
you  at  a  congregational  meeting  in  the  fall  of  the 
year  1807.     Although  I  had  frequently  spoken  of 
them  in  private,  I  did  not  think  it  could  answer 
any  good  purpose  to  bring  them  before  you  collec- 
tively, so  long  as  I  could  not  see  how  the  inconve- 
nience was  to  be  remedied.     But  when  a  remedy 


244  Dr.  Mason  s  Speech,  S)'c. 

appeared  to  me  as  within  reach,  I  embraced  an 
early  opportunity  of  proposing  it,  which  I  did  at 
the  meeting  alluded  to,  by  recommending  the 
choice  of  an  assistant  to  whom  the  parochial  du- 
ties should  be  exclusively  committed.  I  was  disap- 
pointed. Beside  the  embarrassment  of  our  national 
affairs,  which,  for  a  time,  paralysed  almost  every 
effort,  a  more  serious  check  was  given  to  the  mea- 
sure by  the  state  of  our  finances,  which,  it  was 
supposed,  could  not  be  made  sufficient  to  cover  the 
additional  expenditure  without  either  distressing  or 
banishing  the  poorer  part  of  the  congregation. 
My  next  concern,  therefore,  was  to  devise  some 
means  of  so  augmenting  our  resources  as  to  re- 
move this  obstacle.  After  very  maturely  consider- 
ing the  matter,  and  balancing  the  advantages  and 
disadvantages  both  to  this  congregation  and  to  the 
church  at  large,  I  suggested  the  propriety  of  build- 
ing a  new  and  more  spacious  place  of  worship. 
As  I  had  no  doubt  of  the  practicability  of  this 
scheme,  and  of  a  sufficiency  of  numbers  speedily  to 
fill  the  house,  my  calculation  was,  that  a  revenue 
might  be  secured,  equal  to  all  expenses;  and  also 
that  sources  would  be  opened  of  further  support 
for  our  Theological  Seminary  with  which,  in  a 
great  measure,  our  whole  body  and  a  vast  amount 
of  Christian  interests  allied  to  it,  seem  likely  to 
stand  or  fall.  But  I  was  again  disappointed.  The 
same  objection   recurred.     A  new  church,  it  was 


%'  Dr.  Masons  Speech,  S^c.  245 

imagined,  could  not  be  erected  without  oppression 
to  a  considerable  portion  of  the  congregation.     I 
found  also  a  settled  opposition  to  the  plan   of  my 
having    an   assistant    on    any   terms.      What    the 
extent  of  it  is,  I  have  not  so  much  as  endeavored 
to  ascertain,  because  I  perceived  it  to  be  enough 
to  involve  the  prosecution  of  my  wishes  in  much 
difficulty.     Upon  the  whole,  I  am  convinced  that 
my  proposal  cannot  be  carried  through  with  that 
cordiality  which   is  indispensable  to  your  comfort 
and  to  my  own.     The   question  is  decided.     My 
last  hope  of  extricating  both  you  and  myself  from 
our  perplexed  condition,   and  jet  preserving  our 
relation   to  each  other,  has  vanished  away.     The 
higher  duties  which  I  owe  to  the  Church  of  God 
leave  no  place  for  the  details  of  a  pastoral  charge. 
I  am  at  best  but  a  nominal  pastor,  and  there  is  no 
probability  of  my  becoming  a  real  one.     I  stand  in 
the  way  of  one   who  might   be    such.     I    cannot 
consent  to  remain   in   a   situation   so  afflicting  to 
myself,  and  so  injurious  to  you.      The  only  alter- 
native is  that  which  I  have  adopted  and  am  about 
to   mention.     An   alternative   not  hastily  resolved 
upon ;   distinctly  anticipated  long  ago  as  a  possible 
event;  put  off  by  my  utmost  exertions  to  avoid  it, 
until  I  am  shut  up  to  it;  pondered,  with  much  ten- 
derness   and   solemnity,   at  various    intervals   and 
under  various  states  of  mind;  spread  out,  not  once 
nor  twice,  "with  strong  crying  and   tears,"  before 


246  Di.  Mason  s  Speech,  8fc. ' 

the  mercy-seat ;  and  not  resorted  to  after  all,  but 
from  a  deliberate  and  thorough  conviction  of  duty 
as  in  the  sight  of  God,  and  as  one  that  must  give 
account.  Brethren,  we  must  part.  My  agitation 
and  my  anguish  in  announcing  this  to  you  are 
extreme.  But  the  die  is  cast.  The  thing  is 
inevitable.  I  have  therefore  to  inform  you,  that  it 
is  my  intention  to  resign  my  pastoral  charge  into 
the  hands  of  the  Presbytery  of  New  York,  at  their 
next  stated  meeting,  to  be  held  in  the  town  of 
Newburgh,  on  Wednesday  the  ICth  day  of  May 
next  ensuing.  I  give  you  this  early  notice  that 
you  may  appoint,  if  you  shall  judge  it  proper,  com- 
missioners to  attend  the  Presbytery,  and  make  any 
representations  which  you  may  desire,  so  as  to 
save  the  Presbytery  the  trouble  of  a  special  meet- 
ing. At  the  same  time  candor  obliges  me  to  state, 
that  I  have  communicated  my  purpose,  not  as  a 
matter  on  which  my  own  mind  is  dubious  or 
wavering ;  nor  as  a  manoeuvre  to  accomplish,  by 
indirect  means,  views  which  I  directly  attempted 
without  success.  My  resolution  is  fixed,  and  can- 
not be  altered  by  any  steps  which  may  now  be 
taken.  >" 

"  I  shall  detain  you  no  longer  than  to  subjoin 
an  observation  or  two  for  preventing  mistakes. 
During  the  whole  period  of  our  connection  the 
utmost  harmony  has  subsisted  between  us.  The 
reiterated  proofs  of  your  affection  I  shall  cherish 


Dr.  Masons  Speech,  S^c.  247 

as  a  spring  of  grateful  recollection  while  my 
memory  retains  her  seat.  Dissatisfaction  with  my 
people  I  have  none.  Neither  am  I  influenced  by 
pecuniary  motives.  Your  last  unsolicited,  unex- 
pected addition  to  my  income,  notwithstanding  the 
evils  under  which  you  labor  were  not  removed,  is 
a  proof  that  you  are  ready  to  preckide  all  just  un- 
easiness on  that  score.*  But  my  salary  doubled, 
trebled,  quadrupled,  would  not  induce  me  to  retract, 
or  even  to  hesitate.  The  reasons  of  my  present 
conduct  would  still  operate  with  unabated  force. 

"  Nor  have  I  been  impelled  by  private  chagrin 
or  resentments.  I  have  no  personal  quarrel  with 
any  man  among  you;  and  if  J  had,  I  should  enjoy 
ineffable  consolation  from  the  assurance  that  the 
uniform  tenor  of  my  life  puts  me  above  the  sus- 
picion of  acting  from  such  paltry  passions. 

"In  declaring  my  intention  of  resigning  my 
charge,  I  am  not  to  be  understood  as  expressing 
any  intention  of  abandoning  the  pulpit.  To  preach 
Jesus  Christ  and  him  crucified,  is  my  honor  and 
my  happiness :  nor  shall  I  desist  from  my  loved 
employment  so  long  as  I  am  permitted  to  abide  in 
it ;  but  shall  continue  to  labor  in  the  word  and 
doctrine  as  God  in  his  providence  shall  appoint 
me  to  a  proper  scene  of  action.  In  the  interim 
between  this  date  and  the  meeting  of  the  Prcsby- 

*  Some  months  before,  the  congregntion,  without  my  request, 
expectation,  or  knowledge,  unanimously  voted  the  addition  of  one 
hundred  pounds  per  annum  to  my  former  salary.  J.  M.  M. 


248  Dr.  Mason's  Sjjeech,  Sfc. 

tery  in  May,  I  shall  perform,  if  the  Lord  will,  my 
public  functions  as  usual. 

"  The  respect  which  I  owe  to  my  more  intimate 
friends,  and  especially  to  the  members  of  the  ses- 
sion, demands  an  explanation  of  my  silence  on  this 
interesting  subject  until  the  hour  of  my  laying  it 
before  the  congregation.  It  is  not  strictly  a  ses- 
sional business.  Talking  of  it,  while  the  facts  to 
determine  the  issue  were  still  in  suspense,  might 
have  been  interpreted  as  a  threat,  or  at  least  as  an 
indecorum  toward  the  congregation.  I  also  stu- 
died to  shun  the  multitude  of  discussions  to  which 
it  would  have  given  rise;  and  thus  to  spare  myself 
and  my  brethren  much  pain  which  would  other- 
wise have  been  unavoidable.  My  feelings  at  this 
moment  justify  my  precaution :  they  are  suffi- 
ciently excruciating,  without  having  been  subjected 
to  agony  a  thousand  times  repeated. 

"  You  will  readily  excuse  me  for  not  addressing 
you  in  person  on  this  occasion.  My  heart  tells  me 
that  I  could  hardly  sustain  the  conflict.  That 
heart  is  filled,  and  shall  be  filled  with  affectionate 
remembrance  of  you,  and  with  fervent  supplica- 
tions for  your  temporal  and  eternal  felicity,  while 
the  hand  which  expresses  its  emotions  is  able  to 
subscribe  the  name  of 

"  Your  friend  and  pastor, 

"  J.  M.  Mason. 

"New- York,  March  12,  1810." 


Dr.  MasoTis  Speech,  Sfc.  249 

The  foregoing  papers  Iiaving  been  read,  Mr.  An- 
drew Foster,  the  commissioner  of  the  congre- 
gation, stated,  in  a  few  words,  their  acquiescence 
m  Dr.  Mason's  resignation,  and  their  desire  to 
have  as  nmch  of  his  services  as  possible,  in  the 
form  of  supply. 

Dr.  Masox\  then  rose  and  spoke  as  follows  : 

Mr.  Moderator  : — If  the  circumstances  under 
which    I    now   address    this    Presbytery   did    not 
deeply  agitate   my  mind,  I  should  have  forsworn 
the  best  affections  of  human  nature.     In  the  disrup- 
tion of  any  ties  which  do  not  bind  us  to  misery  there 
is  something  painful ;  but  in  the  disruption  of  ties 
which  form  one  of  the  most  tender  relations  of  life  ; 
which  time  has  made  venerable,  friendship  sweet, 
and   religion  sacred,  there  is  something  at  which 
the  heart  trembles  and  shrinks  awaj^     I  own  that 
I  have  trembled ;   I  own  that  I  have  shrunk,  in  the 
anticipation  of  this   hour.     Seventeen  years  of  a 
comfortable,  a  cherished,  and  I  (rust,  not  altogether 
a  barren  ministry,  create  feelings  which  the  touch 
of  rudeness  would    profane;    and    claims    v\  hich 
none  but  the  highest  authority  can  set  aside.     I 
have  peculiar  causes  of  attachment  to  my  people 
and  to  the  place  where  they  worship.     Both  are, 
in  some  sense,  my  inheritance.     Here  my  f;ther 
prayed,    and    God    heard    him:     here    my    l.ther 


250  Dr.  Masons  Speech,  ^'c. 

preacliod,  and  God  gave  him  seals  of  his  ministry 
and  crowns  of  his  rejoicing.  The  memorial  of  his 
faithfiihiess  is  perpetually  hefore  my  eye;  and  in 
the  spot  over  which  I  now  stand,  his  flesh  rests  in 
hope.  I  have  entered  into  his  labors.  The  seed 
which  he  sowed  I  have  been  honored  to  water.  I 
have  i^i'Qn  many  of  them  who  were  the  friends  of 
his  earlier  and  of  his  later  days,  who  have  also 
been  my  own  friends,  gathered  peacefully  to  the 
tomb,  I  see  others  of  them  waTting  till  their 
change  come.  I  meet  every  Lord's  dav,  I  discern 
around  me  now,  the  faces  of  not  a  few  ^^  houi  I 
may  i)resent  before  the  mercy  seat,  and  saj', 
"  These  are  the  children  whom  thou  hast  ^\\q.\i 
me."  Assuredly,  were  affection  the  onl}-  thing  to 
be  consulted,  mstead  of  cutting  the  cord  which 
unites  me  to  them,  I  should  seek  to  entwine  it 
more  closely  with  every  li;;;ament  of  my  frame. 
But  I  am  not  my  own;  I  am  not  theirs.  I  owe  a 
nobler  allegiance  than  can  grow  out  of  their  love ; 
and  to  that  allegiance  do  I  bow  when  I  ask  to  be 
released  from  my  pastoral  charge. 

Moderator, — The  system  of  every  well-regu- 
lated church  is  a  system  of  fixed  ministrinions. 
For  the  lighter  services  of  the  pulpit;  for  social 
prayer  and  exhortation ;  generally  for  the  more 
public  exercises  of  religion,  an  itinerant  ministry, 
although,  with  the  excejjtion  of  missionaries,  iar 
inferior  in  labor,  in  care,  in   self-denial,  in  respon- 


Dr.  Masons  Speech,  Sfc.  251 

sibility,  may  get  along  and.be  popular.  But  for 
sound  exposition  of  the  scriptures;  for  "giving  to 
every  one  his  portion  of  meat  in  due  season  ;"  for 
training  up  the  youth;  for  coercive  and  preventing 
discipline;  for  carrying  both  the  law  and  the  gospel 
home  to  every  man's  "business  and  bosom  ;"  briefly, 
for  binding  up  and  consohdating  the  invaluable 
interests  of  a  Christian  community,  there  is  no 
adequate,  and  no  appointed,  means  but  a  stated 
ministry.  Without  it  there  may  be  iveachers  in 
abundance,  pastors  there  can  be  none.  This 
broad  and  obvious  distinction  is  recognized  in  the 
form  of  a  call  customary  in  our  churches;  which, 
taking  for  granted  that  a  minister  is  io  preach,  lays 
the  principal  stress  upon  his  pastoral  character.  True 
it  is,  that  no  man  can  be  a  scriptural  pastor  who 
does  not  "feed  his  flock  whh  knowledge  and  with 
understanding ;"  but  he  may  provide  their  weekly 
food,  plenty  and  good;  and  yet  lamentably  fail  in 
his  pastoral  work.  For  my  own  part,  the  longer  I 
consider  the  nature  and  design  of  the  Christian 
ministry,  the  more  does  the  importance  of  those 
functions  which  are  teY\\\Qdi  parochial  dutij,  rise  to 
my  view.  I  am  persuaded,  that  without  them  no 
congregation  can  permanently  flourish,  nor  any 
pastor  be  permanently  comfortable.  There  are  a 
thousand  avenues  to  conviction  which  no  public 
instruction  can  enter.  A  thousand  difficulties  to 
be  solved  which  the  pulpit  cannot  reach.     There 


252  Dr.  Masoris  Speech,  SfC. 

is  an  adaptation  of  gi^ioral  truth  to  particular  cir- 
cumstances, fit  only  for  the  private  walk  or  the 
fire-side.  There  is  a  correspondence  between 
doctrine  preached  and  exenipHfied  which  forces  its 
way  silently,  but  most  effectually,  to  the  heart. 
By  pastoral  vigilance  and  prudence,  abuses  are  to 
be  checked,  and  scandals  prevented,  which,  when 
permitted  to  ripen  for  judicial  cognizance,  are  often 
beyond  remedy.  It  is  of  unutterable  moment  to 
couple,  in  the  early  associations  of  children,  the 
idea  of  their  minister  wtth  that  of  a  spiritual  father, 
and  of  their  own  relation  and  duties  to  the  church 
of  God — which  is  impossible  without  frequent  and 
afTectionate  intercourse.  The  want  of  this  is  the 
most  fertile  secondary  cause  of  that  absurd  con- 
tradiction, which  reigns  among  the  churches, — 
treating  our  baptized  youth  as  if  they  were  mere 
heathen.  The  feeble  are  to  be  strengthened,  the 
lame  to  be  healed,  the  wanderers  to  be  hunted  up 
and  brought  back.  The  drooping  spirit  is  to  be 
cheered ;  the  thoughtless  spirit  admonished,  the 
impetuous  spirit  restrained.  The  presence  of  a 
faithful  pastor  refreshes  the  soul  of  labor,  and 
sweetens  the  crust  of  poverty.  His  voice  smoothes 
the  bed  of  sickness,  and  mitigates  the  rigors  of 
death.  In  short,  his  people  expect  from  him  nu- 
merous attcniiom  which  allow  of  no  substitute. 
They  furnish  an  irresistible  argument  for  rich  pre- 
paration before  he  begins.     He  will  find  it  a  hard 


Dr.  Masons  Sj^eech,  Sfc.  253 

effort  to  make  up  deficiency  afterwards,  and  not 
withhold  them.  Yet,  withhold  them,  and  affection, 
the  basis  of  confidence  and  of  usefulness,  gradually 
wears  away..  Talent  may  inspire  admiration ;  it 
will  certainly  command  respect;  but  it  cannot 
extort  love.  On  the  other  hand,  there  is  nothing 
which  men  resent  more  promptly,  forgive  more 
reluctantly,  and  forget  more  slowly,  than  neglect. 
You  may  deny  their  requests;  you  may  expose 
their  errors ;  you  may  reprove  their  faults ;  but 
neglect  ihcm  you  may  not.  The  civilities  of  life, 
and  the  friendly  exterior  may  indeed  remain  ;  but 
you  shall  find,  on  the  first  decisive  experiment, 
that  the  power  of  their  affection  is  gone.  They 
always  feel  themselves  neglected  when  the  parish 
services  of  their  minister  are  not  rendered.  Whe- 
ther the  neglect  be  real  or  only  apparent — whether 
there  be  just  cause  or  not,  for  the  omission,  are 
questions  which  may  have  some  influence  on  the 
progress  of  things  toward  this  result,  but  will  very 
slightly,  if  at  all,  vary  the  result  itself  The  ser- 
vices arc  not  rendered,  and  that  is  enough.  This 
night  does  my  own  experience  seal  the  truth  of 
my  remark. 

Superadded  to  those  general  reasonings  which 
apply  to  all  pastors  and  their  people,  is  a  consider- 
ation of  peculiar  force  in  its  application  to  myself 
To  me,  sir,  has  been  committed,  that  honorable  but 
most   arduous  and  responsible  office;  the  office  of 


254  Dr.  MasorCs  Speech,  S^c. 

forming  the  minds  and  habits  of  our  rising  minis- 
try. On  me  it  is  severely  incumbent  neither  to 
lay,  nor  permit  to  be  laid,  in  so  far  as  I  can  hinder 
it,  any  stumbling-block  before  their  feet.  What  is 
the  fact?  They  hear  me  urge  parochial  duties  as 
indispensable.  They  know  that  I  perform  none. 
They,  at  the  same  time,  see  my  congregation  appa- 
rently flourishing.  What  is  likely  to  be  the  pre- 
sent conclusion?  Manifestly  this:  either  thai  I  do 
not  believe  my  own  declarations,  or  that,  supposing 
me  to  be  sincere,  I  overrate  the  value  of  parochial 
duties.  What  is  likely  to  be  the  future  result  \ 
Manifestly  this  :  supposing  that  any  of  them  should 
neglect  their  own  charges,  they  will  comfort  them- 
selves by  quoting  me.  They  will  remember  the 
general  fact,  and  will  forget  the  circumstances 
which  render  it  no  precedent  for  their  imitation. 
They  will  also  be  tempted  to  hold  in  light  estima- 
tion the  sacredness  of  their  ordination  vows,  one  of 
which  expressly  promises  diligence  in  parochial 
work.  And  thus,  in  the  very  act  of  betraying  their 
trust,  they  will  endeavor  to  quiet  their  consciences 
by  pleading  the  example  of  their  instructor  to  jus- 
tify their  treason.  No  example  of  mine  must  afford 
any  color  for  such  an  abuse. 

With  this  manifold  conviction  bearing  upon  my 
spirit,  viz. 

1.  That  parochial  duties  are  essential  to  the 
prosperity  of  a  congregation  : 


Dr.  Mason's  S})eech,  ^r.  255 

2.  That  my  people  were  siifferiiig,  in  their  most 
precious  interests,  for  want  of  them. 

3.  That  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  perform 
them : 

4.  That  the  state  of  feeling  which  arises  from 
supposed  neglect,  in  their  omission,  was  every  day 
becoming  more  visible: 

5.  That  the  omission  of  them  set  an  example 
which  my  students,  should  they  be  so  inclined, 
might  hereafter  abuse  to  the  incalculable  mischief 
of  the  churches — 

With  all  these  distressing  convictions  haunting 
my  soul,  I  ask,  Moderator,  and  I  put  the  question 
home  to  every  member  of  this  court,  and  to  every 
person  within  these  walls,  how  was  it  possible  for 
me,  without  the  utter  extinction  of  whatever  is 
holy  or  honest  in  man,  to  remain  easy  or  inactive. 
Yes,  sir,  I  have  had  on  this  subject  hours  of  an- 
guish to  which  no  one  was  witness  but  the  great 
keeper  of  secrets.  Large  and  repeated  draughts 
of  bitterness,  in  comparison  of  which  all  that  others 
have  suffered  on  my  account  is  no  more  than  the 
straggling  drop.  Often,  often,  did  I  interrogate 
myself:  "Are  you  not  pastor  of  this  congrega- 
tion ?"  "  Yes."  "  Do  you  fulfil  the  engagements 
contracted  at  your  ordination  f  "  No."  "  Are 
not  the  congregation  suffering  from  the  omission  t" 
"  They  are."  "  Is  the  omission  wilful  on  your 
part  r'     "  That  I  can  answer  firmly  in  the  ncga- 


256  Di\  Masons  Speech,  ^r. 

live."  "  Why,  then,  do  you  not  adopt  some  reme- 
dy ?"     "  Because  there  is  none  withm  reach." 

Thus  did  I  commune  with  my  own  heart  and 
with  my  God,  when  some,  I  doubt  not,  imagined 
I  was  utterly  unconcerned.  Nor  did  I  break 
silence  to  men,  unless  in  a  very  general  way,  until 
an  opportunity  occurred,  as  I  thought,  of  disem- 
barrassing myself  and  my  congregation.  Then  I 
lost  no  time  in  explaining,  first  to  the  session  and 
trustees  jointly ;  and  afterwards  to  the  congrega- 
tion, the  interference  of  my  public  trust  with  the 
details  of  congregational  labor.  I  frankly  told 
them  that  these  details  I  could  not  perform,  and 
therefore  would  not  so  much  as  attempt  it.  That 
I  felt  myself  liberated  from  the  necessity  by  the 
authority  of  my  Master  in  heaven,  who  had  as- 
signed me  other  work  of  larger  interest  and  more 
imperative  obligation.  That  I  could  not,  how- 
ever, with  a  good  conscience,  stand  by  and  see 
their  spiritual  edifice  decay;  nor  abstain  from  giving 
them  open  warning ;  and  pointing  out  the  only 
means  of  preventing  the  ruin  consistently  wdth  my 
remaining  their  minister.  That  means  was  the 
procuring  of  an  assistant,  to  whom  the  parochial 
duties  should  cxclusivelv  belong;. 

This  was  in  the  fall  of  1807.  The  proposal  was 
differently  received  by  different  persons.  Some, 
I  know,  were  decidedly  favorable.  Others  were 
decidedly  and  actively  unfavorable.     They  urged 


Dr.  Mason's  Speech,  Sfc.  257 

"  the  general  inconvenience  of  collegiate  charges 
as  experienced  in  this  city.  The  unseemliness  of 
allotting  two  ministers  to  the  same  congregation  in 
New  York*.;  the  one  preaching,  the  other  sitting 
idle,  while  so  many  places  are  destitute  of  the 
Christian  ordinances  altogether;  and  the  imprac- 
ticability of  providing  for  two  ministers  without 
such  an  increase  of  burd«ens  as  should  either  op- 
press our  poorer  members ;  or  expel  them  from  our 
sanctuary." 

These  are  all  the  avowed  reasons  which  came 
to  my  ear,  and  I  suppose  they  are  all  which  could 
be  plausibly  produced.  The  first  confounded  a 
connection  of  two  ministers  in  one  congregation 
with  the  union  of  two  or  more  congregations  in  a 
common  charge;  and  therefore  had  no  force  at  all 
which  would  not  equally  show  the  impropriety  of 
more  than  one  minister  in  the  same  town  or  city. 
The  second  was  dictated  by  that  very  common 
but  very  small  calculation,  which  sacrifices  sub- 
stance to  show ;  and  is  never  contented  unless  a 
minister  be  wedded  to  a  congregation,  although  his 
labors,  in  a  different  form,  repay  the  church  of  God, 
in  advantage  to  her  general  interests,  a  hundred 
fold.  The  third,  viz.,  that  my  expedient  "  would 
distress  or  banish  our  poor,"  I  never  believed  nor 
do  I  now  beUeve  to  have  any  real  foundation. 
Facts  are  against  it.  The  poor  themselves  did  not 
urge  it.     But  it  is  not  unusual  for  men  to  frame 

VOL.  IV.       17 


268  Dr.  Mason's  Speech,  8fc. 

opinions  for  the  poor,  and  act  as  their  advocates; 
while  at  the  same  time,  these  very  poor  are  often 
ignorant  of  the  whole  matter,  and  disclaim,  upon 
the  first  information,  the  sentiments  altributed  to 
them.  Let  me  speak  freely,  for  I  speak  with  cer- 
tainty. The  poor,  not  those  who  subsist  upon  alms, 
but  those  who  acquire  a  decent  support  by  honor- 
able industry,  are  griev^isly  injured.  My  experi- 
ence enables,  and  respect  to  a  highly  meritorious 
class  of  the  community  enjoins,  me  to  testify,  that 
the  poor  are  not  the  first  to  decline  their  share,  and 
more  than  their  share,  of  public  burdens.  Were 
the  opulent  to  contribute,  in  proportion  to  their 
power,  the  tithe  of  what  is  cojitributed  by  the 
poor,  there  could  never  be  any  want  of  means  for 
the  noblest  purposes  of  beneficence.  Yet  as  the 
poor  are  frequently  misled  into  notions  and  con- 
duct which,  if  left  to  themselves,  they  would  never 
have  adopted ;  and  as  a  plea  founded  upon  pro- 
fessed regard  to  them,  is  well  suited  to  inflame 
their  minds,  I  did  not  judge  it  advisable  to  press  my 
point,  till  I  was  prepared  to  meet  the  principal  ob- 
jection with  an  answer  more  decisive  than  reason- 
ing :  especially  as  some  alleged,  doubtless,  in  proof 
of  the  general  disaffection  toward  my  plan,  that  it 
was  espoused,  in  the  meeting  of  the  congregation, 
by  only  a  solitary  individual.  This  is  extremely 
fallacious.  Modest  men,  unaccustomed  to  appear 
in  public,  can  rarely  overcome  their  diffidence  so 


Dr.  Masons  Speeches,  Sfc.  259 

far  as  to  speak  in  a  promiscuous  assembly.  Their 
feelings  are  mistaken,  because  not  expressed ;  and 
inferences  are  drawn  from  their  silence  the  very 
reverse  of  the  truth.  But,  taking  the  fact  as  it  is 
stated,  viz.  that  only  an  individual  espoused  my 
cause  ;  let  it  never  be  forgotten  that  thai  indivi- 
dual was  Alexander  Campbell.  A  man  whose 
value  I  knew  well,  but  knew  too  late;  and  who  is 
now,  without  peradventure,  in  a  better  world. 
Allow  me,  sir,  to  say  of  him — it  is  the  onl}'  oppor- 
tunity I  have  had  of  paying  my  tribute  to  his  me- 
mory— allow  me  to  say,  without  discourtesy  to  any 
of  our  surviving  friends,  that  for  all  which  belongs 
to  native  energy,  united  with  unbending  integrity 
and  an  utter  abhorrence  of  petty  intrigue,  he  has 
not  left  his  superior  among  us.  Without  learning 
himself,  a  man  of  mere  learning  was  a  plaything 
in  his  hand. — Without  political  training,  he  was  a 
politician  of  larger  and  of  sounder  brain  than  the 
most  of  those  whom  ive  call  statesmen.  But  he 
was  modest — he  was  retired — he  was  not  seen  but 
in  the  effusions  of  unfettered  confidence :  he  was 
not  seen  at  all  by  the  mass  of  those  with  whom  he 
habitually  conversed.  I  have  wondered  that,  in 
the  holy  providence  of  God,  such  rare  intellect 
should  have  been  expended  upon  blocks  of  marble, 
when  it  might  have  been  appropriately  occupied 
in  rearing  the  moral  edifice  of  a  nation.  But  he 
is   gone  to  a  scene   where  his  faculties  shall  not 


260  Dr.  Masons  Sjjeech,  Sfc. 

miss  their  employment :  his  dying  lips  breathed  out 
the  virtue  of  the  blood  of  the  cross.  I  pass  by  his 
tomb,  and  repeat  in  my  sorrow,  "Yes!  here 
— (with  no 

Perhaps)— in  this  neglected  spot  is  laid 
A  heart  once  pregnant  with  celestial  fire  ; 
Hands,  that  the  rod  of  empire  might  have  swayed, 
Or  wak'd  to  ecstasy  the  living  lyre." 

Pardon  my  digression — I  return. 

Whatever  was  the  state  of  private  wishes, 
nothing  was  done.  A  number  talked  ;  none  ex- 
ert^ themselves,  and  the  decisive  moment  passed 
by.  Then  came  the  embargo,  which  will  be  had 
in  unblest  remembrance,  so  long  as  a  measure  so 
absurd,  immoral,  and  destructive,  shall  be  entitled 
to  a  "  bad  eminence  "  in  the  records  of  the  world. 
Our  little  bark  was  locked  up  in  the  universal 
frost;  and  nothing  could  be  done  till  Mr.  Erskine's 
thaw  in  the  spring  of  1809.  The  revival  of  our 
commerce,  and  the  cheerful  activity  which  it  dif- 
fused, seemed  to  be  a  proper  juncture  for  suggest- 
ing a  second  measure,  Vv'hich,  by  removing  the 
danger  of  too  heavy  a  pressure  on  the  poor,  might 
not  only  accomplish  the  first,  but  open  new  sources 
of  both  comfort  and  usefulness.  This  was  fJie 
ei'ection  of  a  large?-  and  more  commodious  house  of 
worship.  Accordingly,  on  the  IGth  of  May  last, 
I   presented    to    the    board    of    trustees,    through 


Dr.  MasoTis  Speech,  8^'c.  261 

their  chairman,  a  memorial,  of  which  the  following 
is  a  copy,  viz. 

"  Sir, — I  hope  I  shall  not  bo  thought  officious 
in  asking  the  early  and  decisive  attention  of  the 
trustees  to  an  object  of  confessed  importance,  and 
which  has,  for  some  time  back,  been  a  frequent 
topic  of  conversation  among  the  members  of  our 
own  aud  our  neighboring  churches — I  mean  the ' 
erection  of  a  new  and  larger  place  of  worship. 

"  I  have  often  expressed  an  opinion  that  a  place 
of  worship  should  be  of  a  moderate  size ;  very 
little,  if  any,  more  spacious  than  the  one  whicji  we 
already  possess.  And  to  that  opinion,  as  to  a 
general  rule,  I  still  adhere.  But  this  rule,  like  all 
others,  I  find  by  experience  to  have  exceptions. 
A  great  city  produces  habits  and  circumstances 
which  cannot  be  controlled  by  a  small  section  of 
its  inhabitants,  and  which  prudence  directs  them 
to  turn  to  their  advantage.  It  is  a  principle  in 
human  nature,  that  everything,  to  be  respectable, 
must  be  on  a  scale  proportioned  to  the  scene  of 
action.  Large  cities,  therefore,  will  have  large 
dwelling-houses;  large  buildings  for  civil  purposes; 
large  establishments  for  charity;  and,  on  the  same 
ground,  large  churches.  Viewing  the  subject  in 
this  light,  I  am  compelled  to  yield  to  the  reasons 
which   require   us  to   prepare,   without   delay,  for 


262  Dr.  Masons  Speech,  S)'c. 

providing  a  larger  and  more  commodious  house  of 
worship. 

"We  owe  it  to  our  own  relative  standing  in  the 
connnunity,  which  will  be  materially  affected  for 
the  better  by  such  an  alteration, 

"  We  owe  it  to  the  claims  upon  our  liberality  for 
great  and  noble  purposes  of  beneficence,-  which  it 
will  be  in  our  power  to  answer  more  extensively, 
as  well  as  more  easily,  by  an  increase  of  reputable 
members. 

'•  We  owe  it  to  our  own  children  who  very 
shortly  must  be  expelled  from  our  sanctuary,  unless 
room  be  made  for  them, 

"  We  owe  it,  finally,  to  the  great  interests  of 
religious  truth  and  order  which  our  Lord  and 
Master  has  committed  to  our  hands,  and  which 
we  are  bound  both  by  his  authority  and  his  love  to 
extend  as  far  as  we  can. 

"  The  measure,  therefore,  which  I  have  taken 
the  freedom  to  recommend,  must  come  into  opera- 
tion before  long,  whether  we  will  or  whether  we 
will  not.  In  this  alternative,  the  sooner  the  better. 
If  it  is  to  be  done  at  all,  my  persuasion  is,  that  it 
should  be  done  now.     My  reasons  are  these: 

"  That  which  rnnst  he  done  hereafter,  and  may 
be  done  now,  ought,  for  that  reason  alone,  to  be 
done  noiv. 

"  They  who  do  not  seize  Time  by  the  forelock, 
will  find  it  very  difficult  to  huld  him  by  the  hack  of 


Dr.  Masoris  Speech,  5^'c.  263 

the  head.  In  plain  words  :  if  we  wait  till  circum- 
stances command  lis,  when  it  is  in  our  power  to 
command  circumstances,  we  commit  an  act  of  in- 
discretion of  which  we  shall  repent  but  once,  and 
that  is  for  ever  after.  This  congregation  has  al- 
ready lost  to  an  immense  amount  of  comfort,  if  not 
of  property,  by  permitting  occasions  to  pass  by  un- 
improved. 

"  The  impediments  to  the  public  prosperity  are 

again  removed,  and  the  return  of  connnerce  and 
active  business  has  diffused  cheerfulness  and  spirit 
through  the  comniunity.  Strike  while  the  iron  is 
hot.     Six  uioiiths  hence  may  be  too  late. 

"  There  is  a  strong  religious  sensibility  in  the 
city,  peculiarly  favorable  to  the  undertaking. 

"  The  congregation  is  ripe  for  it.  It  is  a  subject 
of  conversation  and  anxiety:  and  some  are  ready 
to  step  forward  with  hberal  donations. 

"A  number  of  respectable  and  religious  families 
are  waiting  to  see  if  they  can  be  accommodated. 
They  cannot  and  ought  not  to  remain  unsettled. 
The  prospect  of  procuring  seats  will  determine 
them.     Otherwise  they  must  and  will  go  elswehere. 

"  The  expense  of  building  will  be  much  less  to 
us  than  to  others,  after  allowing  for  the  ground  and 
materials  already  our  own ;  and,  deducting  from 
the  additional  cost  the  amount  of  donations  which 
will  be  made,  the  balance  will  be  comparatively 
trifling ;   and,   by   a  judicious   mode   of  arranging 


264  Dr.  Masons  Speech.  S)'c. 

the  finances  of  the  congregation,  will  be  speedily 
extinguished.  Had  the  thing  been  done  seven 
years  ago,  we  iftight  now  have  flourished  in  an 
eminent  degree,  and  been  nearly  if  not  entirely 
out  of  debt.  Should  the  present  opportunity  be 
suffered  to  slip,  we  may  in  vain  look  for  another 
like  it  for  a  dozen  years  to  come.  There  are 
critical  periods  in  the  history  of  societies  as  well  as 
of  individuals,  which,  if  once  lost,  are  lost  forever. 
The  present  seems  to  be  such  with  us.  Should 
the  trustees  see  the  matter  in  this  light,  as  I  flattfer 
myself  they  wdll,  not  an  hour  should  be  lost  in 
forming  their  purpose,  making  li  ^mhlic,  and  follow- 
ing it  up  with  active  measures.  The  whole  extent 
of  my  personal  efforts  they  know  they  can  com- 
mand, and  that  I  am, 

'•  With  perfect  respect  and  attachment, 

"  Their  much  obliged  and  obedient, 

"  J.  M.  Mason. 

''New  York,  IGtJi  May,  1809. 

"The  Cluiinnan  of  the  Trustees  of  the  S.  P.  Church." 

The  subject  was  certainly  important ;  the  man- 
ner of  communicating  it  respectful ;  and  the  rea- 
sons for  a  prompt  attention  to  it,  not  absolutely 
contemptible.  Yet  notwithstanding  the  su!)ject, 
the  manner,  and  the  reasons,  I  never  heard  one 
syllable  from  the  board  till  about  six  months  after; 
that  is,  on  the  7th  of  November.     And  all  that  I 


Dr.  Masons  Speech,  S^-c.  265 

then  got  was  this  laconic  message,  that  they  had 
"  postponed  the  consideration  thereof  for  the  pres- 
ent !  !  "  I  shall  not  affect  to  conceal  that  I  was 
deeply  wounded.  A  right  to  judge  for  themselves 
they  undouhtedly  had  ;  and  I  never  thought  of 
objecting  to  their  freest  exercise  of  it,  however  dif- 
ferent their  conclusions  might  be  from  my  own. 
But  I,  too,  had  my  rights.  On  a  subject  deeply 
interesting  to  my  private  peace,  my  public  charac- 
ter, and  the  prosperity  of  our  churches,  I  felt  that  I 
had  a  right  to  be  heard  ;  to  be  heard  speedily ;  to 
have  my  proposals  fully  considered  ;  and  if  they 
should  be  inadmissible,  to  have  the  reasons  for  re- 
jecting them  fairly  stated.  But  that  such  a  paper 
as  I  offered  should  be  tossed  carelessly  aside — that 
I  should  be  suspended  on  thq  tenter  hook  of  anxi- 
ety for  six  months — that  even  the  consideration  of 
my  memorial  should  then  be  postponed,  indefinite- 
ly, without  the  smallest  notice  by  the  board  of  one 
of  my  reasons,  and  without  assigning  one  of  their 
own,  was  such  a  departure  from  all  the  decorum 
of  life,  that  submission  to  it  would  have  been  in- 
consistent with  self-respect,  and  would  have  cur- 
dled the  very  milk  of  Christian  meekness.  My 
feelings  were,  I  believe,  intelligibly  conveyed  to  the 
board  in  another  letter  three  days  after  ;  and  there 
the  business,  under  that  view  of  it,  ended.  I  wish 
to  be  perfectly  understood  as  referring  to  the 
Trustees  in   their  corporate  not   their   individual 


266  Dr.  Masons  Sjjeech,  Sfc. 

capacity;  and  as  criticising  their  act,  not  their 
mofives.  I  had  not  then,  nor  have  I  now,  the 
suiallust  suspicion  that  they,  or  any  one  of  them, 
intended  to  he  uncivil.  For  I  have  not  yet  learned 
to  suspect  a  bad  motive,  when  a  l)etter  is  equally 
reasonable.  I  had  ever  ranked  them  among  my 
personal  friends;  I  had  done  nothing  either  to  in- 
cur their  resentment,  or  to  forfeit  their  esteem  ; 
and  therefore  I  could  not,  without  violence  to  my 
own  mind,  impute  to  them  any  wilful  contumely, 
although  their  act  was  pretty  highly  spiced  with 
that  quality.  I  regret  the  necessity  of  adverting  to 
this  occurrence  at  all.  But  as  it  is  an  essential 
link  in  the  chain  of  events  which  led  to  my  present 
application,  the  mention  of  it  was  unavoidable. 

Whatever  injury  the  message  of  the  Trustees 
did  to  their  intention,  their  act  could  not  be  mis- 
taken. It  was,  unequivocally,  their  official  nega- 
tive upon  the  scheme  of  a  new  church.  What 
other  interpretation  could  it  bear?  To  say  the 
very  least,  such  a  postponement,  after  so  many 
months  for  deliberation,  betrayed  an  indifference, 
which,  when  hard  pressed,  would  break  out  into 
resistance.  With  a  bias  of  so  much  wealth  and 
influence,  as  centered  in  the  board,  against  my 
plan,  or  without  that  bias  for  it,  how  should  it  suc- 
ceed ?  I  could  not  reasonably  imagine  the  Trus- 
tees to  be  alone  in  their  feelings  and  polic}' ;  for  I 
never  so  much  as  dreamed  that  a  proposal  to  build 


Dr.  Masons  Speech,  S)'c.  267 

a  new  cliiu-ch  should  find  its  way  into  the  box  of 
secrets.  There  was  also  no  method  of  bringing 
the  question  fairly  up,  but  what  should  put  myself 
at  issue  with  the  Trustees  before  the  bar  of  the 
congregation — an  experiment  fit  only  for  madness 
to  adopt.  Each  side  would  have  had  its  sup- 
porters ;  and  a  miracle  could  hardly  have  saved  us 
from  intestine  war.  Such  a  consequence  my  soul 
shuddered  at;  and  resolved  upon  no  account  to 
hazard. 

I  entreat  my  brethren  to  look,  now,  upon  my 
situation.  Two  years  before,  I  had  told  my  people 
that  I  saw  their  prosperity  fading  for  want  of 
attentions  which  it  was  impossible  for  me  to  give; 
that  I  could  not  consent  to  the  further  progress  of 
the  mischief;  and  besought  them  not  merely  for 
my  sake,  but  for  their  own  ;  for  the  sake  of  their 
families,  for  the  sake  of  the  church  of  God,  to  pro- 
vide an  additional  minister.  The  measure  is  de- 
chned ;  and  the  only  reason  which  had  even  the 
show  of  solidity  is  the  burden  which  it  would 
impose  on  the  poor.  I  wait  patiently  for  a  fit 
opportunity  of  meeting  this  difficulty  :  I  find  it  in 
circumstances  favorable  to  the  erection  of  a  larger 
house  of  worship ;  an  expedient  which,  in  the 
nature  of  things,  would  have  thrown  the  weight 
where  it  ought  to  lie,  upon  the  shoulders  of  the 
rich ;  and  would  have  extended  our  resources 
through  their  means.     The  plan  is  smothered  for 


268  Dr.  Masons  Speech,  8)'c. 

six  months ;  it  is,  tlien,  dismissed,  unconsidered, 
without  the  common  forms  of  courtesy.  When 
called  up  in  private  conversation,  it  is  opposed  by 
men  of  influence  ;  and,  to  my  utter  astonishment, 
opposed  upon  the  old  ground — sympathy  for  the 
poor!  In  short,  I  perceived  a  fixed  determination 
to  discountenance  and  defeat  it.  What  is  the 
amount  ?  "  You  have  told  us,  sir,  that  the  duties 
of  the  congregation  cannot  be  performed,  nor  its 
interests  cherished,  nor  your  own  heart  be  at 
peace,  without  an  assistant.  You  shall  have  no 
assistant."  "  Why  notl"  "  We  cannot  furnish  one 
without  so  raising  the  rents  in  our  little  church  as 
to  distress  the  poor."  "  Build  another  one,  and  let 
the  rich  bear  the  burden."  "  No,  sir,  collegiate 
charges  are  bad.  It  would  not  look  v/ell  to  have 
one  minister  in  the  pulpit  and  another  sitting  and 
hearing  him — you  will  drive  the  poor  away.  In 
one  word,  you  shall  not  have  an  assistant  upon 
any  terms  ;  and  your  comfort,  and  your  cares,  and 
the  interests  of  the  congregation,  may  help  them- 
selves as  well  as  they  can." 

I  do  not  say  that  this  process  passed  formally 
through  any  man's  mind  :  but  I  say  that  it  is  the 
true  language  of  the  conduct  which  I  am  consider- 
ing. What,  then,  was  to  be  done  ?  The  only  plan 
which  could  be  devised  for  cherishing  this  people, 
consistently  with  my  remaining  their  minister  and 
the  head  of  our  seminary,  had  been  rejected  under 


Dr.  Masons  Speech,  d^c.  269 

both  its  forms.    The  alternatives  are  plain.    Either 
•I  must  foster  the  seminary  to  the  detriment  of  my 
congregation;  or  my  congregation  to  the  detriment 
of  the   seminary ;    or   I   must   resign   my  pastoral 
charge.     Could  even  a  very  moderate  understand- 
ing, co-operating  with  upright  principle,   hesitate 
for  a  moment !     Retain   my  charge  under  all  its 
embarrassments ;  after  my  solemn  and  public  decla- 
rations ;  at  the  expense  of  wringing  my  heart,  pol- 
luting my  conscience,  and  stamping  on  my  fore- 
head   the    brand    of    hypocrisy !       Abandon    our 
infant  seminary  !     Lay  the  axe  to  the  root  of  a 
tree    which    the    Lord's    own    right    hand    hath 
planted !      Which     his    gracious    providence    has 
watered  ;  and  of  which  his   people  are  beginning 
to  eat  the  fruit!     Pour   blasting  and  mildew  over 
the  green  hope  of  our  churches!      Give  the  signal 
to  Hell  for  a  burst  of  Paeans  to  another  triumph  of 
her  darkness!      The  suggestion  is  enough  to  make 
the  Devil  blush.     Nay,  sir,  to  that  institution  I  will 
say  as  the  mourning  prophet  to  the  holy  city — If 
I  forget  thee,  let  my  right  hand  forget  her  cun- 
ning.     With    that    institution,    whatever    be    the 
absurd  confidence  of  dreamers, — with  that  institu- 
tion, in  all  human  probability,  our  churches  stand 
or  fall.     In  providing  liberally  for  it,  we  are  provi- 
dino;  the  bread  of  hfe  and   the  water  of  life   for 
generations  to  come.     In  permitting  it  to  languish 
and  to  die.  we  shall  help  to  briiU;  on  a  famine  of 


270  Dr.  Mason's  Speech,  S^c. 

the  word  of  the  Lord  under  which  our  children 
and  our  children's  children  will  sink  down  into  the 
arms  of  the  second  death.  To  the  great  interests 
of  religion,  many  of  which  are  bound  up  in  that 
institution,  I  must  be  devoted  in  body,  soul,  and 
spirit.  This  is  the  sort  of  work  for  which  God 
made  me,  "And  wist  ye  not  that  I  must  be  about 
my  Father's  business  ?"  Far  from  my  eyes  be  the 
gloom  of  that  day;  I  mean,  the  blackness  of  that 
night — in  which  this  fountain  of  life-blood  to  our 
churches  shall  be  dried  up.  In  the  event  of  such 
a  catastrophe,  unless  my  views  materially  change, 
or  providence  should  find  me  other  appropriate 
employment,  I  should  consider,  and  without  preju- 
dice to  the  authority  to  which  I  am  subject,  I  beg 
the  declaration  may  be  remembered,  I  should 
consider  my  ministerial  commission  as  abrogated ; 
and  myself  ordered,  by  my  master  in  Heaven,  off 
ecclesiastical  ground. 

Since,  then,  it  was  my  duty  to  promote  the 
greatest  good  of  both  my  congregation  and  of  the 
seminary ;  and  since  the  continuance  of  my  pre- 
sent relation  involved  the  sacrifice  of  the  one  to 
the  other,  there  was  no  choice.  I  was  shut  up  to 
the  necessity  of  resigning  my  pastoral  charge.  I 
say  ''shut  up  to  this  necessity;"  for  the  facts  which 
I  have  submitted  to  the  Presbytery  show,  that  it 
was  not  of  my  own  seeking,  nor  of  my  own  cre- 
ating ;  that  I  struggled  hard  to  shun  it ;  but  was 


Dr.  Mason's  Speech,  8fc.  271 

compelled  to  it ;  and  I  was  compelled  Iiy  nothing 
more  directly  than  bv  the  measures  which  were 
deemed  proper  by  some  of  the  brethren  whom  it 
has  most  deeply  offended. 

I  announced  my  purpose  to  the  congregation  in 
my  letter  of  the  12th  of  March  last.  But  before 
making  this  cummunication  I  had  explored  the 
consequences,  and  considered  in  what  manner 
they  might  be  directed  to  the  happiest  issue.  The 
death  of  a  good  plan  is  often  the  birth  of  a  better. 
God  disappoints  our  hope,  that  he  may  give  us 
something  greater  than  we  had  hoped  for.  More 
than  once  has  he  been  thus  bountiful  to  my  feeble 
efforts;  I  trust  he  will  be  so  now.  To  quit  the 
seminary,  the  city,  or  the  pulpit ;  to  take  another 
parochial  charge ;  to  maintain  my  family  with  my 
private  property,  or  upon  the  public  fund,  were 
equally  out  of  the  question.  The  expedient  which 
presented  itself  as  precisely  suited  to  these  compli- 
cated emergencies,  was  the  erection  of  a  third 
church,  upon  such  a  scale  and  upon  such  principles 
as  should  allow,  me  to  iireach  the  gospel  statedly, 
should  also  insure  the  benefit  of  a  complete  pastor, 
and  should  be  able,  without  difficulty  to  provide 
for  both.  This  new  plan  was  to  be  surveyed  in 
two  lights: 

1st.  As  desirable. 

2d.  As  practicable. 

To  me  it  appeared  every  way  preferable  to  the 


272  Dr.  Masons  Sjieech,  8^c. 

first  plan  of  pulling  down  the  old  church  and 
erectino;  a  new  one  on  the  same  site. 

The  present  building,  which  may  last  a  long 
time,  would  be  thrown  away. 

The  materials,  as  I  discovered  from  more  cor- 
rect information  than  I  formerly  possessed,  would 
be  worth  nothing:  the  expense  of  preparing  them 
for  use  being  equal  to  their  value  when  prepared. 

The  design  could  not  be  effected  without  dis- 
turbing the  graves  of  a  great  number  whose  friends 
and  families  are  still  in  the  congregation.  On  this 
subject  human  feelings  are  intractable;  and  though 
their  opposition  might  not  perhaps  be  invincible  ; 
yet  it  would  be  very  strong:  would  be  accompa- 
nied with  vehement  passion ;  would  require  very 
delicate  and  dexterous  management;  and  even 
when  subdued  would  leave  behind  it  heart-burn- 
ings and  animosities. 

A  third  building  would  yield  all  the  advantages 
of  a  new  one  upon  the  site  of  the  first,  even  sup- 
posing the  old  one  to  be  deserted,  and  we  should 
have  the  old  one  into  the  bargain.  So  that  we 
should  really  have  two  churches  for  the  same  sum, 
which,  on  the  plan  of  pulling  the  old  church  down, 
would  be  expended  on  one,  with  the  mere  differ- 
ence of  the  ground  on  which  it  now  stands.  A 
third  church,  therefore,  is  preferable  on  the  score 
of  economy.  It  is  preferable  on  much  higher 
accounts. 


Dr.  Masons  Speech,  3^x.  273 

Three  churches  in  one  city,  are,  in  themselves, 
better  for  any  denomination  than  two. 

A  fourth  congregation  may  be  formed  much 
more  easily  from  three  than  a  third  from  two. 

Larger  revenue  for  our  seminary  may  be  de- 
rived from  three  than  from  two.  And  this  I  viewed 
as  an  object  of  immense  importance. 

The  Presbytery  of  New  York  has  to  sustain 
the  heaviest  pressure  of  our  pubHc  burdens.  It 
occupies  a  most  interesting  position  in  the  body ; 
and  tlierefore,  tlffe  more  you  can  increase  its  re- 
sources, the  more  will  you  promote  the  good  of 
the  whole. 

One  minister  more  than  our  number  of  pulpits, 
would  enable  us  to  meet  pressing  calls  of  public 
service,  which  would  redound  to  the  benefit  of 
the  body,  and  of  religion  at  large ;  which  are  now 
almost  impracticable,  and  which  could  then  be 
performed  without  injuring  our  general  interests 
through  this  Presbytery,  whose  prosperity  and 
adversity  are,  pre-eminently,  the  prosperity  and 
adversity  of  our  whole  denomination. 

New  York  is  fast  becoming  the  London  of  the 
United  Stales.  The  habits  and  character  of  such 
a  metropolis  exert  an  incalculable  influence.  It  is. 
therefore,  of  unspeakable  moment  to  our  state  and 
country,  that  her  habits  and  character  be  on  the 
side  of  that  "  righteousness  which  exalteth  a  na- 
tion."    The   more  of  pure  religion  you  preserve 

VOL.  IV.       IS 


274  Dr.  Masons  Speech,  S)'c. 

and  disseminate  in  her,  the  more  hkcly  are  jou  to 
produce  so  blessed  a  result  And  though  no  one 
denomination  can  do  everything,  yet  each  deno- 
mination may  do  something.  Every  evangehcal 
church  is  one  ;  and  every  one  counts.  The  erec- 
tion of  a  third  church,  is,  therefore,  most  desira- 
ble.    But, 

2.  Is  it  practicdble  ? 

The  question  can  regard  no  impediment  but 
such  as  must  arise  from  either  want  of  wealth  or 
want  of  peoiyle.  » 

The  first  admits  not  of  a  discussion.  Should  a 
man  seriously  assert  that  there  is  a  lack  of  wealth, 
the  world  would  laush  in  his  face. 

But  where  are  your  people  \  It  is  alleged  that 
we  have  not  enough  to  fill  a  third  church  ;  and, 
therefore,  it  is  concluded  that  such  a  measure  is 
premature.  Had  this  course  of  objecting,  for  I  will 
not  call  it  reasoning,  prevailed  in  other  times,  in- 
stead of  iwo  respectable  houses  of  worship,  we 
should  now  have  boasted  only  a  pitiful  hovel. 
When  my  father  came  to  this  city,  the  whole 
congregation  assembled  in  a  small  room ;  therefore 
it  was  a  mad  speculation  to  build  a  church  larger 
than  25  by  20  feet.  When  the  extravagantly  big 
little  place  which  was  erected  began  to  overflow, 
all  prudent  calculation  was  set  at  defiance  in  the 
building  of  the  edifice,  QQ  by  56  feel.  And  when 
here,  again,  we  felt  ourselves  crowded,  and  ven- 


Dr.  Mason  s  Speech,  5^c,  21b 

tured  upon  an  additional  church  larger  still,  we 
certainly  took,  leave  of  our  senses!  Really,  sir,  I 
am  ashamed  to  hear  men  of  any  understanding 
talk  so  wildly.  How  shall  you  increase  j'our 
numbers  when  you  have  not  a  corner  to  spare  ? 
The  only  way  to  get  people,  if  you  can  hold  out 
other  inducements,  is  to  make  room  for  them. 
You  surely  do  not  expect  that  they  will  stand  in 
the  aisles,  or  out  of  doors  in  sunshine  and  rain,  or 
enter  their  names  in  a  book  of  supphcants,  and 
wait  until  you  shall  please  to  pronounce  that  there 
are  enough  to  fill  a  larger  house  !  In  speaking  of 
such  egregious  trifling  it  is  hardly  possible  to  be 
grave ;  and  yet  the  pertinacity  with  which  it  is 
adhered  to,  proves  that  there  is  a  grave  principle 
connected  with  it;  and  that  is,  most  evidently,  a 
determination  to  resist  the  plan  contemplated.  I 
shall,  therefore,  give  the  objection  a  more  direct 
answer  than  it  would  otherwise  deserve. 

According  to  the  best  computation,  the  city  of 
New  York  contains  one  hundred  thousand  souls. 
Supposing,  which  is  much  too  great  an  allowance, 
that  one-half  will  not  attend  public  worship ;  and 
allotting,  which  is  also  too  much,  one  thousand 
individuals,  or  one  hundred  and  sixty-seven  fami- 
lies upon  an  average  to  each  congregation,  we 
should  then  need  fifty  places  of  worship  for  our 
present  population.  Now  reckoning  everything  in 
the  shape  of  a  church,  their  whole  number  does 


276  Dr.  Masons  Speech,  fy. 

not  exceed  forty- six.  Deducting  those  which  are 
merely  nominal,  the  remainder  does  not  exceed 
forty  or  forty-two  at  the  utmost;  so  that  we  want 
for  that  part  of  our  actual  population  which  would 
attend  the  Christian  ordinances  if  they  had  oppor- 
tunity, not  less  than  eight  or  ten  new  places  of 
worship  calculated  for  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
seven  families  each:  and  our  population  is  increas- 
ing every  hour.  Therefore,  unless  we  pay  our- 
selves the  ungracious  compliment  of  believing  that 
we'  carry  about  with  us  some  Gorgon  head  to 
frighten  folks  from  our  sanctuary,  when  they 
eagerly  flock  to  every  other  which  can  receive 
them,  the  fear  that  we  shall  not  have  people 
enough  is  altogether  idle. 

The  •general  argument  from  this  state  of  our 
population  is  enforced  by  experience,  A  few 
years  ago  our  brethren  of  the  General  Assembly 
erected  a  new  church  near  Corlaer's  hook.  It 
was  soon  filled  up — the  Methodists  have  erected 
new  churches,  and  they  are  filled  up — the  Baptists 
have  pulled  down  one  church,  and  they  have  built 
another  in  its  place,  and  it  is  filled  up.  They 
have  since  added  others.  'JMic  Reformed  Dutch 
Church  built  a  new  one  a  very  short  time  since, 
and  it  is  filled  up.  Only  two  years  ago,  another 
Presbyterian  Church  was  built  in  Cedar  street, 
and  it  is  filled  up.  Both  these  denominations  now 
need   another   each:    and   our   Episcopal   friends, 


Dr.  Mason's  Speech,  8^c.  211 

provident  for  futurity,  arc  building  and  buying  in 
every  direction. 

What  has  been  eiir  own  experience?  In  1793 
this  congregation  could  shov/  only  about  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  members.  The  house  is  seated 
for  above  eight  hundred  people,  and  when  pressed 
will  hold  one  thousand.  Four  years  after  it  was 
necessary  to  swarm.  A  new  church  rather  larger 
than  this  was  built  in  Magazine  Street.  A  con- 
siderable section  of  the  worshippers  in  this  house 
removed  to  that.  In  less  than  two  years  they  vrere 
replaced,  and  the  new  house  was  also  filled.  In 
1804,  when  it  was  settled,  the  minister  entered 
upon  his  charge  with  a  body  of  people,  if  not 
greater,  certainly  not  less,  than  assembled  in  this 
place.  I  do  not  love  to  repeat  grievances :  and, 
therefore,  will  not  say  a  syllabic  of  their  subse- 
quent calamities;  nor  of  the  cause  which  produced 
their  second  vacancy  four  years  after.  We  know 
that,  as  a  congregation,  they  were  nearly  annihi- 
lated. Yet  the  fraoments  of  this  cong-regation, 
having  been  bound  together  in  a  call  to  a  new  pas- 
tor, are  already  reviving.  Even  now,  before  the 
youth  of  high  and  early  promise  whom  they  have 
chosen,  is  set  apart  to  his  office,  a  streym  of  fresh 
population  is  pouring  in  upon  them. 

For  ourselves,  in  this  place,  we  have  been  long 
surcharged.  A  contrary  representation  has,  indeed, 
gone  forth  ;  and  from  the  idea  that  none  have  ap- 


278  Dr.  Masons  Speech,  S)'c. 

plied  without  being  accommodated,  the  people  have 
been  left  to  f;?/er  that  httle  if  any  more  accommo- 
dation can  be  necessary.  Thts  is  all  a  deception. 
I  do  not  say  intentional ;  but  still  a  deception,  and 
a  gross  one.  It  is  not  correct  in  point  of  fact.  I 
can  produce  instance  upon  instance  to  disprove  it. 
And  if  it  were,  the  inference  would  be  false. 
Multitudes  who  wished  to  be  with  us  did  not  ap- 
ply, because  they  considered  their  application  to 
be  hopeless.  And  thus  reputable  families  have 
successively  passed  us  by  and  been  compelled  to 
join  others  who  had  more  precaution  than  our- 
selves. But  why  resort  to  external  evidence? 
Let  those  who  have  really  any  doubts  consult  their 
senses.  Let  them  believe  their  own  eyes.  Look 
around  these  walls.  Every  inch  that  can  be 
covered  with  anything  in  the  shape  of  a  pew,  is 
occupied.  With  here  and  there  an  exception,  the 
square  pews  have  two,  and  some  three,  families 
each.  If  an  indiaidual  wants  a  seat,  there  must 
be  inquiry,  calculation,  negotiation,  intreaty,  in 
order  to  get  it.  Two  evils  are  the  immediate 
effects.  First,  our  aggregate  revenue  is  greatly 
diminished.  The  rent  of  a  pew  is  divided  among 
its  occupants.  The  church  gets  no  more  from  its 
numbers,  but  the  individuals  give  less.  The  same 
families  which,  if  there  was  room,  would  pay  for 
two  or  three  pews,  pay  only  for  one.  Secondly, 
the  seat-holders  have  it  not  in  their  power  to  bring 


Dr.  Mason's  Speed l,  d)X.  279 

their  friends  with  them  ;  and  thus  the  most  certain 
and  rcgnla^  fountain  of  supply  and  growth  to  a 
church,  is  ahnost  dried  up. 

With  such  facts  staring  us  in  the  face,  we  are 
graveiy  asked,  Where  are  your  people?  It  really 
sickens  one's  heart.  If  the  existing  circumstances' 
of  our  city  do  not  promise  complete  and  speedy 
success  to  the  plan  which  I  have  unfolded,  there  is 
no  reckoning  upon  human  things.  Moral  certainty 
is  at  an  end.  It  was  never  yet  seen  that  a  proper 
ministry  wanted  hearers.  Plant  down  an  ahle  and 
faithful  minister  anywhere,  not  under  the  reproba- 
tion of  God  for  despising  the  gospel,  and  there  is 
no  fear  of  his  preaching  to  the  walls.  In  New 
York,  at  the  present  juncture,  the  encouragement 
is  flattering  beyond  former  example.  Our  ascended 
Lord  has  shed  down  his  blessing ;  there  has  been 
and  there  is  yet,  a  steady  and  increasing  anxiety 
for  his  word  and  ordinances.  This  is  the  time 
when  every  eye  should  be  vigilant,  every  lieart 
alert,  and  every  arm  nerved.  Yet  this  is  the  time 
in  which  those  to  whom,  in  my  charge,  it  peculiarly 
appertained  to  be  active,  have  chosen  to  do  nothing. 
It  was  not  my  duty  to  wait  upon  their  tardiness, 
nor  to  slumber  in  their  languor.  I  have  acted 
accordingly. 

Such,  sir,  are  the  reasons  Avhich  governed  my 
conduct.  I  covet  no  subterfuge.  I  shrink  from 
no    scrutiny.      "My    record    is    on    high."      Most 


280  Dr.  Mason  s  Speech,  S^'C. 

gladly  would  I  now  leave  myself  with  my  brethren, 
and  retire  from  the  farther  consideration  of  a  ques- 
tion which  has  convulsed  me  with  agony.  But  I 
owe  to  myself  and  to  truth  the  indispensable  duty 
of  adverting  to,  the  treatment  which  I  have  received 
from  quarters  where  I  had  a  right  to  expect  differ- 
ent things.  I  have  beeii  so  long  accustomed  to  be 
misrepresented ;  and  I  have  so  uniformly  repaid 
calumny  with  contempt,  that  had  the  present  been 
a  common  occasion,  I  should  have  contented 
myself  with  saying,  "  To  me  it  is  a  small  matter 
to  be  judged  of  you  or  of  man's  judgment;"  and 
should  not  have  turned  upon  my  heel  to  avoid  the 
imputations  which  have  been  heaped  upon  me. 
But  forbearance  has  bounds.  Impunity  must  not 
always  embolden  slander.  There  is  neither  wis- 
dom nor  religion  in  a  man's  allowing  hinjself  to  be 
bitten,  without  resistance,  by  the  tooth  of  detrac- 
tion, when,  as  in  the  affair  before  us,  the  poison 
spreads  into  the  remotest  veins  of  his  reputation. 

Against  my  people,  as  I  have  said,  1  bring  no 
accusation.  Even  with  injurious  individuals, 
whom  alone  the  subsequent  remarks  will  annoy,  I 
shall  have  no  personal  controversy.  My  object  is 
to  vindicate  myself,  not  to  criminate  others.  Per- 
sonalities, therefore,  I  shall  have  none ;  nor  any- 
thing which  can  be  supposed  to  have  a  personal 
bearing,  unless  conscience  be   the  interpreter,  or 


Dr.  Mason's  Speech,  S^c.  281 

the  authors  of  unkind  insinuations  have  ah-eadj 
published  themselves. 

If  ever  my  intentions  were  pure,  my  views 
disinterested,  and  my  efforts  directed  to  a  good 
and  noble  end,  I  think  they  have  been  so  in  the 
measures  which  have  now  excited  resentment, 
bitterness,  and  reproach.  I  had  flattered  myself 
that  men  who  profess  to  be  my  friends  might 
dissent  from  my  opinion  without  disputing  my 
veracity.  Yet  notwithstanding  the  tender  and 
solemn  declarations  of  the  letter  which  you  have 
heard,  my  testimony  has  been  spurned  ;  and  the 
substance,  the  motives,  the  controUlng  injluence, 
and  the  form  of  my  proceedings  acrimoniously 
censured. 

With  the  evil  which  cleaves  to  human  conduct 
there  is,  for  the  most  part,  a  mixture  of  good. 
Bad  plans  often  originate  in  good  motives ;  bad 
motives  enter  into  good  plans.  The  best  influ- 
ences fail  from  an  improper  method  of  operation  ; 
and  influence  of  the  most  hurtful  sort  finds  shelter 
and  acceptance  in  a  popular  manner.  But  in  my 
policy,  it  seems,  there  was  not  so  much  as  an  alloy 
of  good.  The  plans  were  bad;  motives  bad; 
influence  bad ;  mode  bad  ;  all  bad  tosether — a 
frightful  mass  of  depravity  and  folly. 

"  1^  have  deserted  my  post ;  I  have  forsaken  my 
friends ;  I  have  rent  the  congregation — T  have 
been    actuated    by  mere   pride.     I    have   become 


282  Dr.  Maso7is  Speech,  8^c. 

tired  of  my  poor,   religions  people ;  and  want   to 
sacrifice  them   for   the  rich   and  great  who  have 
little  or  no  religion.     I  have  learned  to  despise  the 
friends  of   my   father   and  my   own   friends,   who 
took  me  np  and  fostered  me  into  all  the  considera- 
tion I   possess.     I   have   grown    ashamed    of  my 
father's   countrymen  and  country.     I  have  tram- 
pled upon  the  practical  wisdom  of  the  good  old 
men;  and  have  yielded  myself  to  the  direction  of 
those  with  whom   I   have  not  even  been  brought 
up,  and,  that  no  species  of  evil  counsel  might  be 
wanting,  I  have  fallen  into  the   snare,   and  been 
prompted  by  the  instigation  of  rtie  Devil — and  the 
whole,  whether  unadvised  or  ill-advised,  has  been 
done  with  rash  and  headstrong  temerity." 

Is  it  possible  that  such  suggestions  can  proceed 
from  Christian  lips?  They  are  applicable  to  none 
but  a  monster  of  iniquity.  They  have  all  been 
applied  to  me,  though  perhaps  not  all  by  the  same 
persoji.  And  for  what  ?  Why  truly,  Moderator, 
because  I  would  not  retain  a  trust  which  I  cannot 
fulfil!  because  I  wish  to  promote,  on  the  largest 
scale  in  my  power,  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ!  because  I  propose. to  form  a  new  congre- 
gation with  a  direct  reference  to  this  end  !  B'lt 
let  us  examine  these  charges. 

1.  "  My  conduct  has  been  had  in  itself.  I  have 
deserted  my  post.  I  have  abandoned  my  friends. 
I  have  rent  the  con;rrei^ation  !" 


Dr.  Masons  Speech,  Sfc.  283 

No,  sir,  I  have  not.  I  never  yet  deserted  my 
post,  nor  abandoned  my  friends,  nor  promoted  dis- 
cord. I  have  pnbhcly  announced  my  intention  of 
asking  a  release  from  my  present  charge.  But 
release  is  not  desertion.  It  was  not  from  my 
friends,  nor  from  the  congregation  that  I  wanted  a 
discharge ;  it  was  from  an  ohhgation  to  impossible 
duties.  I  shall  be  pastorally  separated  from  those 
who  befriend  me,  as  much  as  from  any  of  those 
who  have  expressed  a  wish  to  see  me  "  humbled." 
I  shall  be  personally,  and  in  pulpit-services,  sepa- 
rated from  none  of  them  but  by  their  own  choice. 
If  there  be  any  desertion,  it  is  not  I  who  desert 
them,  but  they  who  desert  me.  There  is  nothing 
to  hinder  them  all  from  enjoying  my  ministrations 
as  formerly,  if  they  please.  Should  the  whole 
congregation  go  along,  it  will  only  be  moving  from 
an  old  house  to  a  new  one.  I  own  I  would  not 
wish  it;  because  I  wish  to  see  three  congregations, 
and  all  of  them  flourishing.  I  own  I  do  not  expect 
it;  because  I  think  it  contrary  to  the  principles  of 
human  action.  And  this  was  the  basis  of  part  of 
my  calculation.  But  surely,  sir,  if  some,  following 
their  own  inclination,  had  rather  remain  where 
they  are,  they  might  have  done  so  with  good  tem- 
per. There  was  no  necessity  for  abusing  me ;  and, 
I  verily  think,  no  Christianity  in  it.  But  it  is,  above 
all,  most  marvellous  to  profess  their  regard  to  my 
ministrations  to  be  the  cause  of  their  disquietude. 


284  Dr.  Mason's  Speech,  S^c. 

and  prove  that  regard  by  preferring  walls  and 
benches  to  me  and  my  ministrations  too !  To  in- 
sist that  they  are  grieved  to  part  with  me ;  then  to 
tear  diemselves  away  by  their  own  act ;  and  theri, 
to  turn  round  with  wrath  upon  mc  for  deserting 
them !  Really,  sir,  this  is  out-sternholding  Stern- 
hold,  in  the  highest  style  of  performance. 

2.  My  motives  were  vile.  "  I  have  been  actu- 
ated by  mere  pride,  I  wanted  to  sacrifice  my 
poor,  religious,  people  of  whom  I  have  grown 
ashamed,  to  the  irreligious  rich  and  great.  I  de- 
spise my  father's  country,  countrymen  and  friends, 
to  whom  I  owe  everything,"  &c.  &c. 

To  all  such  insinuations  I  might,  and  to  most  oi 
them  I  shall,  oppose  the  unvaried  tenor  of  my  life. 

Moderator,  I  have  served  this  people  for  more 
than  seventeen  years.  Malevolent  eyes  have  con- 
tinually watched  me,  and  I  challenge  the  world  to 
produce  a  single  plan  or  measure  of  mine  to  justify 
in  the  slightest  degree  the  gentlest,  (if  the  distinc- 
tion of  more  and  less  gentle  has  place  among  them), 
to  justify,  I  repeat  it,  the  gentlest  of  all  those  foul 
insinuations.  Opulence  and  grandeur  I  have  sacri- 
ficed to  the  cburch  of  God — to  this  people — and 
they  know  it.  Talent,  in  our  country,  need  not 
enter  the  pulpit  witliout  being  in  some  degree 
allied  to  the  spirit  of  martyrdom.  The  road  to 
wealth  and  honors  takes  another  direction.  Other 
things  being  equal,  the  ministry,  of  all  human  pro- 


Dr.  Masons  Speech,  Sfc.  285 

fession^,  is  the  most  helpless  and  unfriended. 
Since  the  time  of  my  settlement  here,  lawyers, 
merchants,  physicians,  have  made  their  fortunes; 
not  an  industrious  and  prudent  mechanic  but  has 
laid  up  something  for  his  family.  But  should  God 
call  me  away  to-morrow,  after  expending  the  flower 
of  my  life,  7?ii/  family  could  not  show  a  single  cent 
for  the  gain  of  more  than  seventeen  years'  toil.  And 
were  it  not  for  some  private  property  quite  insuf- 
ficient for  their  maintenance  and  education,  my 
wife  and  her  children  would  be  set  adrift  upon  the 
world  without  bread  to  eat,  or  raiment  to  put  on. 
And  yet,  after  my  giving  one  of  the  strongest  pos- 
sible proofs  of  disinterestedness,  men  who  have 
been  accumulating  the  good  things  of  this  world, 
and  enjoying  their  rehgion  too,  come  forward  to 
show  their  Christian  zeal  by  charging  me  with 
motives  not  only  selfish,  but  meanly  and  basely 
selfish.  One  would  hope  that  the  charity  which 
thinketh  no  evil,  might  put  a  good  construction 
where  it  is  easy  ;  and  not  rack  its  invention  in 
search  of  an  evil  one,  when  it  has  first  to  get  rid 
of  both  presumption  and  proof  to  the  contrary. 

I  am  forcibly  reminded  of  a  memorable  passage 
in  the  history  of  David.  The  Philistine  of  Gath 
had  defied  the  armies  of  Israel,  so  that  "  they  wei:e 
dismayed  and  sore  afraid."  The  stripling  son  of 
Jesse,  who  had  gone  down  at  his  father's  com- 
mand to  see   his  brethren  in  the  field,  hoard  the 


28G  Dr.  Masons  Speech,  8)'c. 

words  of  the  boaster.  His  spirit  rises :  his  blood 
fires :  he  offers  hiinseh'  to  the  combat.  Shall  not, 
now,  all  Israel  cheer  the  gallant  boy  ?  Shall  not 
his  bravery,  his  zeal,  his  love  of  country,  his  devo- 
tion to  God,  fill  every  heart  with  affection,  and 
every  tongue  with  applause  ?  Shall  not  his 
brothers  feel  their  liosonis  swell  with  virtuous 
elation  before  this  rising  glory  of  their  name  \ 
Yet  hear!  "Eliab's  anger  was  kindled  against 
David,  and  he  said,  why  camcst  thou  down 
thither  ?  And  with  whom  hast  thou  left  those 
few  sheep  in  the  wilderness?  I  know  thy pride^ 
and  the  naughtiness  of  thy  heart,  for  thou  hast 
come  down  that  thou  mightest  see  the  battle." 
The  language  of  David  was  noble,  his  resolution 
heroic;  his  object  most  magnanimous;  and  yet  his 
friend,  his  kinsman,  his  brother,  falls  into  a  passion 
— charges  him  with  deserting  his  post — impeaches 
his  motives.  This  uncourteous  greeting,  a  little 
modernized,  would  sound  as  follows.  "  You  pre- 
tend great  regard  for  the  honor  of  God,  and  the 
good  of  Israel,  but  it  is  your  pride,  sir ;  it  is  your 
dissatisfaction  with  your  trust — it  is  your  anxiety, 
and  a  corrupt  one,  to  catch  at  an  opportunky  of 
gratifying  your  ambition,  which  has  drawn  you 
from  your  flock  to  the  army.  Go  tend  your 
sheep,  sir,  and  it  will  be  better  for  you !"  All  this 
from  a  brother !  Aye,  from  a  brother !  "  What 
have   I   now   done  ?"  said  the  young  saviour  of 


Dr.  Masons  Speech,  Sfc.  287 

Israel ;  "  is  there  not  a  cause  1"  Yes,  cause 
enoush:  honorable  cause:  cause  of  which  God 
shall  transmit  his  approbation  to  the  latest  ages. 
What  then  is  the  matter  with  Eliab?  he  overlooks 
the  plain  fact,  and  goes  a  mofive-ltuntlng.  There 
is  an  explanation.  Why,  what  evil  has  David 
done  \  what  evidence  is  there  of  his  bad  inten- 
tion ?  None  at  all.  Ah  !  but  Eliab's  vanity  had 
been  mortified  in  the  affair  of  the  kingdom  ! 

3.  The  injluence  w^hich  swayed  me  is  vile. 
"  Keen  sighted  observers  have  penetrated  the 
conclave  ;  have  discovered  the  wicked  advisers  ; 
nay,  have  read  the  interior  of  my  heart,  and 
detected  the  machinations  of  the  evil  one — I  have 
fallen  into  temptation." 

On  that  rudeness  which,  uninformed  of  facts 
and  undesirous  of  information,  has  invaded  my 
private  friendships,  and  has  not  spared  even  the 
hallowed  circle  of  my  family,  I  shall  not  descend 
so  low  as  to  make  a  single  remark. 

The  detection  of  the  Devil  in  this  matter  is 
somewhat  curious. 

We  live  in  rare  times.  The  love  of  change 
has  taken  a  most  boundless  sweep.  The  infernal 
cabinet  has  not  escaped.  Hell  has  revolutioned 
her  policy;  and  the  Devil  tempts  men  to  build 
churches  to  the  glory  of  God  our  Saviour,  and  to 
work  hard  for  the  effectual  preparation  of  an 
evangelical  ministry  !      This  is  the  best  argument 

VOL.  IV.       19 


288  Dr.  Mason  s  Sj^cech,  8^c. 

I  ever  jet  heard  for  the  dogma  of  universal  salva- 
tion ;  as  it  shows  something  like  the  dawnings  of 
repentance  and  reformation,  in  a  region  whose 
history  has  been  hitherto  rather  an  awkward  com- 
ment on  the  doctrine  of  our  hjper-benevolent 
theologues.  However,  let  me  put  in  a  word  for 
Satan  on  this  subject.  T  do  verily  believe  him  to 
be  as  innocent  of  aiding  and  abetting  my  plans  for 
promoting  the  prosperity  of  the  Christian  church, 
as  a  devil  can  well  be  of  wilfully  undermining  his 
own  power.  Seriously,  sir,  what  must  wc  think 
of  this  doctrine  of  temptation?  It  goes  a  great 
way.  It  embraces  all  of  our  own  connection 
either  in  the  congregation  or  out  of  it,  who  deem 
my  plan  a  good  one  and  worthy  of  support.  It 
reaches  to  every  minister  and  private  Christian  in 
other  denominations,  (and  they  are  not  a  few), 
who  have  expressed  themselves  favorably,  and 
have  wondered  at  the  "infatuation"  of  the  oppo- 
sition. Men  friendly  and  unfriendly  to  us ;  reli- 
gious and  irreligious;  have  united  in  their  judg- 
ment that  the  plan  is  well  calculated  to  produce  a 
strong,  and  beneficial  result ;  and  some  of  our 
own  friends  cannot  explain  its  origin  or  operation 
without  having  recourse  to  the  machinery  of  the 
pit  I  Perhaps  they  may  Hindi  from  this  picture ; 
and  disclaim  such  sentiments.  Well.  Why  then 
do  they  talk  of  temptation?  And  why  do  they 
continue  hostile  ?     "  He  casteth  out  devils  bv  Bel- 


Dr.  Mason's  Speech,  Sfc,  289 

zebub  the  prince  of  the  devils,"  said  the  Pharisees 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  "  By  whom  then,  re- 
phed  he,  do  your  sons  cast  them  out?"  The  devil 
tempts  me  to  aim  at  an  object  confessedly  good. 
Who  tempts  the  opposers  ? 

But  if  every  other  objection  were  set  aside ;  if 
substance,  motive,  influence,  were  all  right ;  still, 

4.  The  fonn  of  my  procedure  was  totally 
wrong.  How  1  I  concealed  my  intention.  I  told 
not  my  congregation.  I  consulted  not  with  my 
friends  whose  age  and  experience  entitle  them  to 
confidence.  Instead  of  gradually  preparing  the 
way,  I  took  all  by  surprise."  And  this  is  a  princi- 
pal source  of  offence  and  difficulty. 

What,  sir?  Do  Christian  men  say,  that  no  plan 
however  good  shall  have  their  support  unless  they 
can  appear  as  original  movers  of  it?  And  that 
they  will  disobey  their  understanding,  their  con- 
science, and  their  master  too,  without  a  previous 
compliment  to  their  vanity?  I  hope  not.  But 
the  objection  says  so.  It  was  surely  inconsiderate. 
I  shall  press  the  matter  no  further. 

But  how  were  all  taken  by  surprise  ?  I  had 
told  the  Session,  the  Trustees,  the  assembled  con- 
gregation, more  than  two  years  before,  that  I  could 
not  and  would  not  consent  to  the  continuance  of 
that  unprosperous  state  of  their  affairs  which  I 
intreated  them  to  remedy.  Was  this  no  warning  ? 
Did  they  think  all  my  representations  to  be  mere 

VOL.  IV.      19 


290  Dr.  Masons  Speech,  8^c. 

sound  ?  A  matter  for  a  week's  speculation,  never 
more  to  be  thought  of?  Is  it  my  habit  thus  to 
trifle  ?  When  I  renewed  the  subject,  eighteen 
months  after,  in  my  communication  to  the  Trus- 
tees, was  this  no  warning  ?  Did  not  this  furnish 
to  that  respectable  board  a  proof  that  patience  is 
not  submission  ?  That  I  had  not  lost  sight  of  my 
object,  and  was  not  to  be  diverted  from  its  pur- 
suit ?  If  they  overlooked  so  plain  an  admonition, 
and  composed  themselves  to  sleep  for  six  months 
longer,  the  fault  is  not  mine.  When  they  had 
rejected  my  proposal  under  the  guise  of  a  postpone- 
ment, I  spoke  still  more  pointedly.  In  my  letter, 
written  three  days  after  their  very  singular  message 
to  me,  viz.  on  the  10th  of  November  last,  I  went 
so  far  as  to  say,  that  since  they  rejected  every  plan 
which  I  could  propose  for  promoting  the  good  of 
the  congregation,  without  offering  any  substitute, 
and  without  taking  any  step  whatever  for  removing 
the  existing  difficulties,  I  should  trouble  them  no 
more — that  I  held  myself  utterly  irresponsible  for 
consequences — that  nothing  remained  for  me  but 
to  look  out  for  some  expedient  for  relieving  myself 
and  my  congregation  from  our  common  embarrass- 
ment— an  expedient  in  lohich,  for  aught  I  knew, 
the  concurrence  of  the  Trustees  might  not  he  neces- 
sary! Was  this  no  warning?  What  was  it  ?  I 
thought  it  rather  a  broad  hint — but  it  was  not 
taken.    That  I  could  not  help.    I  had,  some  weeks 


Dr.  Mason's  Speech,  8^c.  291 

after,  an  explanatory  conversation  with  a  committee 
of  the  board,  who  treated  me  with  all  the  kindness 
and  delicacy  which  became  friends  and  gentlemen. 
But  though  I  put  the  question  directly  as  to  the 
intention  of  the  board  on  this  most  interesting  topic, 
I  could  not  get  so  much  as  even  an  opinion.  Four 
months  more  slipped  away,  and  nothing  was  done, 
nor  likely  to  be  done.  I  had  long  made  up  my 
purpose  conditionally;  I  now  made  it  up  defini- 
tively ;  and,  as  I  said  to  the  congregation,  "  the  die 
was  cast."  These,  Moderator,  are  facts.  They 
are  almost  all  upon  record.  The  documents  will 
speak  for  themselves.  And  yet  a  clamor  is  raised 
against  me  for  taking  everybody  by  surprise.  I  did 
no  such  thing.  I  did  not,  indeed,  say,  in  so  many 
words,  "  I  shall  give  up  my  charge  unless  you  com- 
ply with  my  request."  It  would  not  have  been 
discreet.  But  I  certainly  put  the  board  in  a  way 
of  drawmg  an  inference  for  themselves  with  no 
other  trouble  than  that  of  putting  two  very  simple 
ideas  together.  If  they  were  not  at  that  trouble 
I  am  not  to  blame. 

"  But,  after  all,  why  did  I  not  consult  before  I 
decided  ?"  Consult  whom  \  About  what  ?  "  My 
congregation;  or,  at  least  my  experienced  friends 
in  the  congregation." 

Really,  sir,  the  reception  which  all  my  previous 
overtures  met  with  left  me  no  heart  to  try  another 
experiment.     I  had  consulted   and  intreated,  and 


292  Dr.  Masons  Speech,  fy. 

remonstrated,  and  waited,  without  effect.  Why 
should  I  subject  myself  to  a  new  risk  of  finding 
how  little  my  reasonings  and  my  feelings  were  re- 
garded ?  But  I  own  that,  without  such  a  draw- 
back, I  would  not  have  been,  on  the  point  of  my 
resignation,  a  whit  more  communicative,  I  will 
tell  you  why. 

To  consult  the  whole  congregation  would  have 
been  a  burlesque  upon  all  counsel.  How  could  so 
mixed  a  mass  be  either  competent  or  impartial  ad- 
visers? Consult  them  about  the  propriety  of  part- 
ing with  what  they  professed  to  love  !  Is  there  a 
man  living  so  unschooled  in  the  knowledge  of  men 
as  not  to  see  that  this  is  an  absurdity  ?  Would 
demonstration  itself  persuade  any  people  on  earth 
to  give  up,  of  their  own  accord,  a  minister  whom 
they  prize  and  are  able  to  support  ?  To  consult 
them  would  be  to  ask  them  to  set  their  faces  with 
all  their  might  against  the  project.  It  would  kin- 
dle a  flame  ;  it  could  procure  no  counsel. 

But  I  ought  to  have  consulted  "  the  respectable 
and  experienced  members  of  the  congregation." 
That  is,  the  very  persons  who  were  not  to  rouse 
nor  repress,  but  simply  to  direct  the  popular  feeUng. 
I  might  as  well  have  gone,  at  once,  to  the  popular 
feehng  itself.     There  were  other  difficulties. 

I  had  no  experience  to  consult.  Far  from  my 
thoughts  be  the  least  disrespect  to  men  who,  in 
their  sphere,  are  worthy  of  all  consideration.     But 


Dr.  Masons  Speech,  S^c.  293 

human  experience  is  as  various  as  human  pursuit. 
A  man  may  have  a  world  of  experience  on  one 
subject  and  none  at  all  on  another.     If  I  want  to 
embark  in  a  mercantile  speculation,  I  will  consult 
the  experience  of  the  merchant.     If  I  labor  under 
a  dangerous  disease,  I  will  consult  the  experience 
of  the  physician.     If  I  am  going  to  set  up  ma- 
chinery, I  will  consult  the  experience  of  the  me- 
chanic.    If  I  wish  to  form  a  correct  judgment  on 
a  point  of  national  policy,  I  will  consult  the  expe- 
rience of  the  statesman.     But  I  will  never  go  to  a 
statesman  for  advice  about  a  steam-engine ;  nor  to 
the  doctor  for  instruction  about  the  foreign  market, 
any  more  than  I  shall  go  to  the  merchant  with  a 
cancer,  or  to  the  bricklayer  with  a  matter  of  state. 
Neither  will  I,  in  the  discussion  of  a  question  which 
is  to  be  settled  by  balancing  general  principles  and 
relations,  apply  to  an  experience  which  Hes  quite 
in  another  course.     The  experience  of  merchants 
and  mechanics  is  most  important  in  its  place  ;  but 
m  measuring  my  faculties  with  their  appropriate 
objects,  and  in   ascertaining  the  bearings   of  our 
public   interests,  was  of  no  use  to  me.     When, 
therefore,  I  am   reproved  for  not  consulting   my 
experienced  friends,  the  reprover  ought  first  to  show 
that  their  experience  was  of  the  proper  sort.     To 
stand  alone,  is,  in  fact,  one  of  the  evils  incident  to 
men  who  take  a  position  or  form  a  plan  which  is 
not  embraced  by  the  ordinary  routine  of  hfe.    Con- 


294  Dr.  Masons  Speech,  S^c. 

sultation  with  an  experience  which  has  nothing  in 
common  with  their  views  and  feelings,  can  only 
multiply  difficulties  and  vexations.  Their  path  is 
up  hill;  and  they  can  gain  nothing  but  additional 
labor  by  inviting  half  a  dozen  or  half  a  score  of 
acquaintances,  who  will  never  be  persuaded  by 
anything  but  success,  to  hang  each  his  weight 
about  their  necks.  They  must  decide  for  them- 
selves upon  their  own  responsibility.  I  knew  the 
condition,  I  accepted  it,  and  have  nothing  to  repent 
of,  to  retract,  nor  retread. 

Supposing,  however,  that  I  had  adopted  the 
method  which  has  been  dictated  to  me :  let  us  see 
how  it  would  have  worked.  Either  my  commu- 
nications would  have  been  kept  secret  or  not.  If 
kept  secret  they  could  no  more  benefit  the  con- 
gregation, than  the  secresy  of  the  trustees  about 
the  proposal  for  a  new  church.  When  divulged, 
as  they  must  have  been  sooner  or  later,  they  would 
have  given  as  great  a  shock  as  my  letter  of  the 
12th  March ;  and  would  have  been  greeted  with 
the  indignation  of  the  people,  who  would  have 
considered  themselves  as  handed  over  to  the  mercy 
of  a  few  dark  intriguers.  Reverse  the  picture. 
Had  the  secret  been  blown,  as  most  undoubtedly 
it  would,  not  only  should  I  and  my  confidants  have 
been  involved  in  a  thousand  angry  disputes ;  but 
it  would  have  been  said,  not  unplausibly,  that  I 
was  fomenting  a  faction  in   the   congregation  to 


Dr.  Masons  Speech,  &^c.  295 

dispose  of  their  dearest  possessions  without  their 
knowledge  or  consent. 

My  counsellors  too,  might  have  differed,  and 
given  opposite  advices.  Follow  both  I  could  not. 
They  whose  advice  was  not  followed  would  have 
been  quite  as  much  displeased  to  have  it  rejected, 
as  not  to  have  it  asked.  It  is  also  far  from  impro- 
bable that  my  own  results  would  have  differed 
from  both,  as  much  as  they  from  each  other ;  and 
so  all  would  have  been  affronted.  It  would  then 
have  been  discovered  that  I  never  meant  to  be 
advised  at  all ;  that  I  only  made  use  of  my  friends 
as  a  screen  for  myself;  and  mocked  them  under 
the  semblance  of  respect.  It  would  have  been 
said,  that  I  enjoyed  the  advantage  of  all  the  intelli- 
gence, prudence,  and  experience  of  the  best  men 
in  the  congregation,  and  treated  them  with  con- 
tempt. Would  this  have  mended  the  matter? 
These  are  not  after-reasonings.  They  passed 
distinctly  through  my  mind  long  before  I  acted.  I 
thought  them  then,  and  I  still  think  them  conclu- 
sive; and  that  the  course  which  I  took  was  the 
least  hazardous,  the  most  dehcate,  and  every  way 
the  best.  I  have  had  no  cause  to  change  my 
opinion :  for  after  the  multiform  investigation  which 
the  subject  has  undergone,  I  have  not  acquired  a 
single  new  fact ;  nor  have  I  heard  a  single  objec- 
tion which  I  had  not  frequently  examined  and 
dismissed. 


296  Dr.  Masons  Speech,  Sfc. 

A  word  more  on  this  head.  Considerable 
'resentment  was  occasioned  by  a  suspicion,  which, 
as  usual,  soon  grew  into  an  assertion,  that  while  I 
had  neglected  my  old  friends,  I  had  all  along  con- 
sulted with  others,  who  had  much  less  claim  to  my 
confidence.  I  heard  of  this,  among  a  thousand 
otlier  falsehoods ;  and  to  counteract  it  sent  to  the 
congregation  a  written  declaration  that  I  had 
formed  my  resolution  without  the  advice  or  know- 
ledge of  a  human  being.  The  letter  containing 
this  declaration  was  publicly  read;  and  yet,  sir, 
the  same  insinuation,  now  become  indecent  and 
insulting,  was  afterwards  repeated  to  me  in  no 
very  equivocal  manner ;  it  was  the  lie  direct  in 
everything  but  the  formality  of  the  expression. 

I  have  expounded  myself  without  reserve,  and 
now  I  cast  myself  upon  the  candor  of  my  brethren. 

They  will  judge  whether  I  have  acted  honora- 
bly or  basely;  and  whether  or  not  I  have  deserved 
the  "hard  speeches"  which  have  been  uttered 
against  me,  even  by  those  who  insist  that  they  are 
my  friends.  In  some  instances  violence  of  mean- 
ing has  been  accompanied  with  mildness  of  man- 
ner. But  a  dagger  is  not  the  less  murderous 
because  its  point  has  been  steeped  in  oil.  But  I 
have  done;  I  wait  the  issue. 

Me,  sir,  nothing  can  take  by  surprise.  I  am 
alike  prepared  for  success  or  for  defeat.  I  am 
prepared  to  see  our  holiest  interests  flourish,  and 


Dr.  Masoris  Speech,  5^c.  297 

to  see  them  languish — prepared  to  see  our  budding 
hope,  our  Httle  seminary,  branch  out  its  honors, 
shed  abroad  its  fohage,  and  mukiply  its  fruits ;  or 
withered,  from  the  blossom  to  the  root,  by  the 
deadly  East- wind  of  prejudice  and  parsimony — 
prepared  to  see  the  men  who  shall  refuse  their 
becoming  offerings  to  build  up  the  temple  of  the 
Lord  of  Hosts,  put  their  money  in  a  bag  with 
holes :  sow  much  and  reap  httle ;  their  fortunes 
scattered  to  the  winds  of  heaven ;  and  the  iniquity 
of  their  covetousness  or  of  their  passion  visited 
upon  their  children's  children.  The  flying  roll 
wherein  is  written  "  mourning,  and  lamentation, 
and  woe,"  passes  swiftly  over  the  nations.  I  hear 
the  portentous  roaring  of  wild  misrule.  I  see  ap- 
proaching the  cloud  of  desolation  which  is  to  rain 
down  upon  the  slumbering  churches  its  tempest 
of  brimstone  and  salt.  My  heart  is  pained  within 
me. 

For  myself,  an  atom  in  the  sum  of  things,  God 
can  do  as  well  without  me  as  with  me.  The  para- 
mount desire  of  my  soul  is  to  proclaim  that  Saviour 
whom  I  hope  to  meet  in  the  clouds  of  Heaven ; 
and  to  assist  in  rearing  up  young  heralds  of  his 
truth,  who  shall  fight  his  battles  and  bear  his  glory 
when  my  feeble  voice  shall  be  heard  no  more,  and 
my  clay  shall  mingle  with  its  kindred  earth.  I 
thank  my  Lord  for  all  the  goodness  and  mercy 
which  have  followed  me  to  this  day.     But  if  the 


298  Br.  Mason's  Speech,  8^c. 

hand  which  has  hfted  me  up  is  about  to  cast  me 
down — "  If  he  shall  thus  say,  I  have  no  delight  in 
thee  ;  behold,  here  am  I,  let  him  do  to  me  as 
seemeth  good  unto  him." 


Dr.  Mason's  request  was  granted ;  and  on  Fri- 
day the  25th  of  May,  he  was  released  from  his 
pastoral  charge. 


A     CONTRAST 


BETWEEN    THE 


DEATH  OF  A  DEIST  AND  THE  DEATH  OF  A  CHRISTIAN: 

BEING 

A   SUCCINCT   ACCOUNT   OF   THAT   CELEBRATED   INFIDEL, 

DAVID   HUME,  ESQ. 

AND   OF   THAT 

EXCELLENT     MINISTER    OF     THE     GOSPEL, 

SAMUEL    FINLEY,  D.D., 

IN  THEIR  LAST  MOMENTS. 


A     CONTRAST, 


ETC. 


Letter  from  Adam  Smith,  LL.D.  to  Williain 
Strahan,  Esq.,  giving  some  account  of  Mr. 
Hume,  during  his  last  sickness. 

Kirkaldy,  Fife  Shire,  Nov.  9,  1776. 
Dear  Sir, — It  is  with  a  real,  though  a  very 
melancholy  pleasure,  that  I  sit  down  to  give  you 
some  account  of  the  behavior  of  our  late  excellent 
friend,  Mr.  Hume,  during  his  last  illness.  Though, 
in  his  own  judgment,  his  disease  was  mortal  and 
incurable,  yet  he  allowed  himself  to  be  prevailed 
upon,  by  the  entreaty  of  his  friends,  to  try  what 
might  be  the  effects  of  a  long  journey.  A  few  days 
before  he  set  out,  he  wrote  that  account  of  his  own 
life,  which,  together  with  his  other  papers,  he  left 
to  your  care.  My  account,  therefore,  shall  begin 
where  his  ends. 


302  Death  of  David  Hume,  Esq. 

He  set  out  for  London  towards  the  end  of 
April,  and  at  Morpeth  met  with  Mr.  John  Home 
and  myself,  who  had  both  come  down  from  Lon- 
don on  purpose  tp  see  him,  expecting  to  have 
found  him  at  Edinburgh.  Mr.  Home  returned 
with  him,  and  attended  him  during  the  whole  of 
his  stay  in  England,  with  that  care  and  attention 
which  might  be  expected  from  a  temper  so  per- 
fectly friendly  and  affectionate.  As  I  had  written 
to  my  mother  that  she  might  expect  me  in  Scot- 
land, I  was  under  the  necessity  of  continuing  my 
journey.  His  disease  seemed  to  yield  to  exercise 
and  change  of  air;  and  when  he  arrived  in  Lon- 
don, he  was  apparently  in  much  better  health  than 
when  he  left  Edinburgh.  He  was  advised  to  go 
to  Bath  to  drink  the  waters,  which  appeared  for 
some  time  to  have  so  good  an  effect  upon  him,  that 
even  he  himself  began  to  entertain,  what  he  was 
not  apt  to  do,  a  better  opinion  of  his  own  health. 
His  symptoms,  however,  soon  returned  with  their 
usual  violence  ;  and  from  that  moment  he  gave  up 
all  thoughts  of  recovery,  but  submitted  with  the 
utmost  cheerfulness,  and  the  most  perfect  compla- 
cency and  resignation.  Upon  his  return  to  Edin- 
burgh, though  he  found  himself  much  weaker,  yet 
his  cheerfulness  never  abated,  and  he  continued  to 
divert  himself,  as  usual,  with  correcting  his  own 
works  for  a  new  edition,  with  reading  books  of 
amusement,  with  the  conversation   of  his  friends : 


Death  of  David  Hume,  Esq.  303 

and,  sometimes  in  the  evening,  with  a  party  at  his 
favorite  game  of  w^hist  His  cheerfulness  was  so 
great,  and  his  conversation  and  amusements  run 
so  much  in  their  usual  strain,  that,  notwithstanding 
all  bad  symptoms,  many  people  could  not  beheve 
he  was  dying.  "  I  shall  tell  your  /riend,  Colonel 
Edmondstone,"  said  Doctor  Dundas  to  him  one 
day,  "that  I  left  you  much  better,  and  in  a  fair 
way  of  recovery."  "  Doctor,"  said  he,  "  as  I  be- 
heve you  would  not  choose  to  tell  anything  but 
the  truth,  you  had  better  tell  him  that  I  am  dying 
as  fast  as  my  enemies,  if  I  have  any,  could  wish, 
and  as  easily  and  cheerfully  as  jny  best  friends 
could  desire." 

Colonel  Edmonstone  soon  after  came  to  see 
him,  and  take  leave  of  him  ;  and  on  his  way  home, 
he  could  not  forbear  writing  him  a  letter,  bidding 
him  once  more  an  eternal  &dieu,  and  applying  to 
him,  as  to  a  dying  man,  the  beautiful  French 
verses,  in  which  the  Abbe  Chaulieu,  in  expecta- 
tion of  his  own  death,  laments  his  approaching 
separation  from  his  friend,  the  Marquis  De  La 
Fare. 

Mr.  Hume's  magnanimity  and  firmness  were 
such,  that  his  most  affectionate  friends  knew  that 
they  hazarded  nothing  in  talking  or  writing  to  him 
as  to  a  dying  man,  and  that  so  far  from  being  hurt 
by  this  frankness,  he  was  rather  pleased  and  flat- 
tered by  it.     I   happened  to  come  into  his  room 


304  Death  of  David  Hume,  Esq. 

while  he  was  reading  this  letter,  which  he  had 
just  received,  and  which  he  immediately  showed 
me.     I  told  him,  that  though  I  was  sensible  how 
very  much   he  was  weakened,  and  that  appear- 
ances were  in  many  respects    very  bad,  yet  his 
cheerfulness  V)j;as  still  so  great,  the    spirit  of  life 
seemed  to  be  still  so  very  strong  in   him,  that  I 
could  not  help  entertaining  some  faint  hopes.     He 
answered,  "  Your  hopes  are  groundless.     An  habi- 
tual diarrhea  of  more  than  a  year's  standing,  would 
be  a  very  bad  disease  at  any  age :  at  my  age  it  is 
a  mortal  one.     When  I  He  down  in  the  evening, 
I  feel   myself  weaker  than   when  I  rose  in  the 
morning ;  and  when  I  rise  in  the  morning,  I  feel 
myself  weaker  than  when  I  lay  down  in  the  even- 
ing.    I  am  sensible,  besides,  that  some  of  my  vital 
parts   are    affected,    so   that    I   must    soon   die." 
"  Well,"  said  I,  "  if  it  must  be  so,  you  have  at  least 
the  satisfaction  of  leaving  all  your  friends,  your 
brother's  family  in  particular,  in  great  prosperity." 
He  said  that  he  felt  that  satisfaction  so  sensibly, 
that  when   he  was   reading,  a   few   days  before, 
Lucian's  Dialogues  of  the  Dead,  among  all  the 
excuses  which  are  alleged  to  Charon,  for  not  en- 
tering readily  into  his  boat,  he  could  not  find  one 
that  fitted  him  ;  he  had  no  house  to  finish,  he  had 
no  daughter  to  provide  for,   he  had  no   enemies 
upon  whom  he  wished  to  revenge    himself.     "  I 
could  not  well  imagine,"   said  he,  "  what  excuse 


DeatJh  of  David  Hume,  Esq.  305 

I  could  make  to  Charon,  in  order  to  obtain  a  little 
delay.  I  have  done  everything  of  consequence 
which  I  ever  meant  to  do ;  and  I  could  at  no  time 
expect  to  leave  my  relations  and  friends  in  a  better 
situation  than  that  in  which  I  am  now  likely  to 
leave  them ;  I,  therefore,  have  all  reason  to  die 
contented."  He  then  diverted  himself  with  invent- 
ing several  jocular  excuses  which  he  supposed  he 
might  make  to  Charon,  and  with  imagining  the 
very  surly  answers  which  it  might  suit  the  charac- 
ter of  Charon  to  return  to  them.  "Upon  further 
consideration,"  said  he,  "  I  thought  I  might  say  to 
him,  '  Good  Charon,  I  have  been  correcting  my 
works  for  a  new  edition.  Allow  me  a  httlc  time 
that  I  may  see  how  the  public  receives  the  altera- 
tions.' But  Charon  would  answer,  '  When  you 
have  seen  the  effect  of  these,  you  will  be  for  mak- 
ing other  alterations.  There  will  be  no  end  of 
such  excuses;  so,  honest  friend,  please  step  into 
the  boat.'  But  I  might  still  urge,  '  Have  a  little 
patience,  good  Charon;  I  have  been  endeavoring 
to  open  the  eyes  of  the  public.  If  I  live  a  few 
years  longer,  I  may  have  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
the  downfall  of  some  of  the  prevailing  systems  of 
superstition.'  But  Charon  would  then  lose  all 
temper  and  decency.  '  You  loitering  rogue,  that 
will  not  happen  these  many  hundred  years.  Do 
you  fancy  I  will  grant  you  a  lease  for  so  long  a 

VOL.  IV.      20 


306  Death  of  David  Hume,  Esq. 

time  ?     Get  into  the  boat  this  instant,  jou  lazj, 
loitering  rogue.' " 

But,  though  Mr.  Hume  always  talked  of  his  ap- 
proaching dissolution  with  great  cheerfulness,  he 
never  affected  to  make  any  parade  of  his  magna- 
nimity. He  never  mentioned  the  subject  but  when 
the  conversati(m  naturally  led  to  it,  and  dwelt  no 
longer  upon  it  than  the  conversation  happened  to 
require :  it  was  a  subject,  indeed,  which  occurred 
pretty  frequently,  in  consequence  of  the  inquiries 
which  his  friends,  who  came  to  see  him,  natlirallv 
made  concerning  the  state  of  his  health.  The 
conversation  which  I  mentioned  above,  and  which 
passed  on  Thursday  the  8th  of  August,  was  the 
last,  except  one,  that  I  ever  had  with  him.  He 
had  now  become  so  very  weak,  that  the  company 
of  his  most  intimate  friends  fatigued  him  ;  for  his 
cheerfulness  was  still  so  great,  his  complaisance 
and  social  disposition  were  still  so  entire,  that  when 
any  friend  was  with  him,  he  could  not  help  talking 
more,  and  with  greater  exertion,  than  suited  the 
weakness  of  his  body.  At  his  own  desire,  there- 
fore, I  agreed  to  leave  Edinburgh,  where  I  was 
staying  partly  upon  his  account,  and  returned  to  my 
mother's  house  here,  at  Kirkaldy,  upon  condition 
that  he  would  send  for  me  whenever  he  wished  to 
see  me ;  the  physician  who  saw  him  most  fre- 
quently. Dr.  Black,  undertaking  in  the  meantime 
to  write  me  occasionally  an  account  of  the  state 


Death  of  David  Hume,  Esq.  307 

of  his  health.  On  the  22d  of  August,  the  Doctor 
wrote  me  the  following  letter : 

"  Since  my  last,  Mr.  Hume  has  passed  his  time 
pretty  easily,  but  is  much  weaker.  He  sits  up, 
goes  down  stairs  once  a  day,  and  amuses  himself 
with  reading,  but  seldom  sees  anybody.  He  finds 
that  even  the  conversation  of  his  most  intimate 
friends  fatigues  and  oppresses  him;  and  it  is  happy 
that  he  does  not  need  it,  for  he  is  quite  free  from 
anxiety,  impatience,  or  low  spirits ;  and  passes  his 
time  very  well,  with  the  assistance  of  amusing 
books." 

I  received,  the  day  after,  .a  letter  from  Mr. 
Hume  myself,  of  which  the  following  is  an  ex- 
tract ; 

Edinburgh,  23  August,  1776. 

My  dearest  Friend, — I  am  obliged  to  make  use 
of  my  nephew's  hand  in  writing  to  you,  as  I  do 
not  rise  to-day. 


I  go  very  fast  to  decline,  and  last  night  had  a  small 
fever,  which  I  hoped  might  put  a  quicker  period  to 
this  tedious  illness,  but  unluckily  it  has,  in  a  great 
measure,  gone  off.  I  cannot  submit  to  your  com- 
ing over  here  on  my  account,  as  it  is  possible  for 
me  to  see  you  so  small  a  part  of  the  day;  but  Doc- 
tor Black  can  better  inform  you   concerning  the 


308  Death  of  David  Hume,  Esq. 

degree  of  strength  which  may  from  time  to  time 
remain  witli  me.     Adieu,  &c. 


Three  days  after,  I  received  the  following  letter 
from  Dr.  Black : 

Edinbugh,  Monday,  Aug.  26,  1776. 

Dear  Sir, — Yesterday,  about  four  o'clock,  after- 
noon, Mr.  Hume  expired.  The  near  approach  of 
his  death  became  evident  in  the  night  between 
Thursday  and  Friday,  when  his  disease  became 
excessive,  and  soon  weakened  him  so  much,  that 
he  could  no  longer  rise  out  of  his  bed.  lie  con- 
tinued to  the  last  perfectly  sensible,  and  free  from 
much  pain  or  feehngs  of  distress.  He  never  drop- 
ped the  smallest  expression  of  impatience  ;  but 
when  he  had  occasion  to  speak  to  the  people 
about  him,  always  did  it  with  affection  and  tender- 
ness. I  thought  it  improper  to  write  to  bring  you 
over,  especially  as  I  heard  that  he  dictated  a  letter 
to  you,  desiring  you  not  to  come.  When  he  be- 
came very  weak,  it  cost  him  an  effort  to  speak,  and 
he  died  in  such  a  happy  composure  of  mind  that 
nothing  could  exceed  it. 

Thus  died  our  most  excellent  and  never-to-be- 
forgotten  friend  ;  concerning  whose  philosophical 
opinions  men  will  no  doubt  judge  variously,  every 
one  approving  or  condemning  them,  according  as 


Death  of  David  Hume,  Esq.  309 

they  happen  to  coincide  or  disagree  with  his  own; 
but  concerning  whose  ciiaracter  and  conduct  there 
can  scarce  be  a  difference  of  opinion.     His  tem- 
per, indeed,  seemed  to  be  more  happily  balanced, 
if  I  may  be  allowed  such  an  expression,  than  that 
perhaps  of  any  other  man    I  have   ever   known. 
Even  in  the  lowest  state  of  his  fortune,  his  great 
and  necessary  frugality  never  hindered  liim  from 
exercising,   upon   proper  occasions,  acts    both   of 
charity  and  generosity.    It  was  a  frugality  founded 
not  upon  avarice,  but  upon  the  love  of  indepen- 
dency.      The    extreme   gentleness    of  his   nature 
never  weakened  either  the   firmness  of  his  mind 
or  the  steadiness  of  his  resolutions.     His  constant 
pleasantry  was  the  genuine  effusion  of  good  nature 
and  good  humor,  tempered  with  dehcacy  and  mo- 
desty, and  without  even  the  slightest  tincture  of 
malignity,  so  freq^Liently  the  disagreeable  source  of 
what  is  called  wit  in  other  men.     It  never  was  the 
meaning  of  his  raillery  to  mortify ;  and,  therefore, 
far  from  offending,  it  seldom  failed  to  please  and 
dehght,  even  those  who  were  the  objects  of  it.     To 
his  friends,  who  were  frequently  the   objects  of  it, 
there  was  not  perhaps  any  one  of  all  his  great  and 
amiable  qualities  which  contributed  more  to  endear 
his  conversation.     And  that  gaiety  of  temper,  so 
agreeable  in  society,  but- which  is  often  accompa- 
nied with  frivolous  and  superficial  qualilies,  was,  in 
him,  certainly  attended  with  the  most  severe  appli- 


310  Death  of  David  Hume,  Esq, 

cation,  the  most  extensive  learning,  the  greatest 
depth  of  thought,  and  a  capacity  in  every  respect 
the  most  compreljcnsive.  Upon  the  whole,  I  have 
always  considered  him,  both  in  his  lifetime  and 
since  his  death,  as  approaching  as  nearly  to  the 
idea  of  a  perfectly  wise  and  virtuous  man,  as 
perhaps  the  nature  of  human  frailty  will  permit. 
I  ever  am, 

Dear  Sir, 
Most  affectionately  yours, 

Adam  Smith. 


Death  of  Samuel  Finley,  D.D.         311 


Some  of  the  last  choice  ivords  of  Doctor  Samuel 
Finley,  President  of  the  College  of  Neto  Jersey. 

Friday,  July  11,  1776.  The  Rev.  Mr.  Richard 
Treat  came  to  visit  the  Doctor,  who  desired  that  he 
would  pray  by  him.  Being  asked  what  he  should 
pray  for,  he  answered,  "  Beseech  God  that  he 
would  be  pleased  to  let  me  feel  just  as  I  did  at  that 
time  when  I  first  closed  with  Christ,  at  which  time 
I  could  scarce  contain  myself  out  of  heaven." 

Dr.  S.  acquainted  him  that  he  could  live  but 
a  few  days  longer;  at  which  he  lifted  up  his  eyes 
with  much  composure,  saying,  "  Then,  welcome, 
Lord  Jesus."  He  declared  himself  under  the 
greatest  obligations  to  the  doctor  for  his  kind  and 
dihgent  attendance  during  his  illness,  and  said, 
"  I  owe  a  large  catalogue  of  debts  to  my  friends, 
which  will  never  be  charged  to  my  account ;  God 
will  discharge  them  for  me." 

July  13th,  Lord's-day,  noon.  Dr.  C.  came  to 
his  bed-side,  and  told  him  there  appeared  a  very 
visible  alteration  in  his  countenance,  by  which  he 
judged  death  was  not  far  off.  He  raised  himself 
upon  his  pillow,  and  broke  out,  ''  Then  may  the 
Lord  bring  me  near  to  hiuiself — I  have  waited 
with  a  Canaan  hunger  for  the  promised  land — I 
have  often  wondered  that  God  suffered  me  to  hve 


312  Death  of  Samuel  Flnley,  D.D. 

— I  have  wondered  more  that  ever  he  called  me 
to  be  a  iiiiuister  of  his  word.  He  has  often  afforded 
me  much  strength,  and  though  I  have  abused  it,  he 
has  returned  in  mercy.  Oh !  how  sweet  are  the 
promises  of  God !  Oh !  that  I  could  see  him  as 
I  have  seen  him  heretofore  in  his  sanctuary ! 
Although  I  have  earnestly  desired  death  as  the 
hh'eling  pants  for  the  evening  shade,  yet  will  I 
wait  my  appointed  time.  I  have  struggled  with 
principalities  and  powers,  and  have  been  brought 
almost  to  despair — Lord,  let  it  suffice. 

He  now  closed  his  eyes,  and  fervently  prayed 
that  God  would  show  him  his  glory  before  he 
departed  hence — that  he  would  enable  him  to 
endure  patiently  to  the  end — and  particularly,  that 
he  might  be  kept  from  dishonoring  the  ministry. 
He  resumed  his  discourse,  saying,  "  I  can  truly  say 
that  I  have  loved  the  service  of  God — I  know  not 
in  what  language  to  speak  of  my  own  unworthi- 
ness:  I  have  been  undutiful:  I  have  honestly  en- 
deavored to  act  for  God,  but  with  much  weakness 
and  corruption."  Here  he  lay  down,  and  spoke 
as  follows  ;  "  A  Christian's  death  is  the  best  part  of 
his  existence.  The  Lord  has  made  provision  for 
the  whole  way,  provision  for  the  soul  and  for  the 
body.  Oh !  that  I  could  recollect  sabbath  bless- 
ings !  The  Lord  has  given  me  many  souls  as  a 
crown  of  my  rejoicing.  Blessed  be  God,  eternal 
rest  is  at  hand  :   eternity  is  long  enough  to  enjoy 


Death  of  Samuel  Finley,  D.  D.         313 

my  God.  This  has  animated  me  in  my  severest 
studies.  I  was  ashamed  to  take  rest  here.  Oh ! 
that  I  could  be  filled  with  the  fulness  of  God ! 
that  fulness  which  fills  heaven  !" 

One  asked  him,  if  it  was  in  his  choice  either  to 
Hve  or  to  die,  which  he  would  prefer?  He  replied, 
"To  die.  Though  I  cannot  but  say,  I  feel  the 
same  difficulty  with  St.  Paul.  But  should  God,  by 
a  miracle  prolong  my  life,  I  will  still  continue  to 
serve  him :  his  service  has  ever  been  sweet  to  me. 
I  have  loved  it  much.  I  have  tried  my  Master's 
yoke,  and  will  never  shrink  my  neck  from  it.  His 
yoke  is  easy,  and  his  burden  light." 

"  You  are  more  cheerful,  sir,"  said  one  of  the 
company.  "  Yes,  I  rise  or  fall  as  eternal  rest  ap- 
pears nearer  or  further  off'." 

It  being  observed  to  him,  that  he  always  used 
that  expression,  "  Dear  Lord"  in  his  prayers ;  he 
answered,  "  Oh !  he  is  very  dear,  very  precious 
indeed  !  How  pretty  for  a  minister  to  die  upon  the 
sabbath !  I  expect  to  spend  the  remaining  part  of 
this  sabbath  in  heaven." 

One  said,  "You  will  soon  be  joined  to  a  blessed 
society ;  you  will  for  ever  converse  with  Abraham, 
Isaac,  and  Jacob,  with  the  spirits  of  just  men  made 
perfect,  with  old  friends,  and  many  old-fashioned 
people.  "  Yes,  sir,"  he  replied  with  a  smile,  "  but 
they  are  a  most  polite  people  now." 

He  frequently  expressed  great  gratitude  to  his 


314  Death  of  Samuel  Finley,  D.D. 

friends  around  him,  but  very  particularly  to  the 
kind  family  he  was  in;  an'd  said,  "May  the  Lord 
repay  you  for  your  tenderness  of  nie  ;  may  he  bless 
you  abundantly,  not  only  with  temporal  but  spiritual 
blessings."  Addressing  himself  to  all  that  were 
present,  he  said,  "  Oh  that  each  of  yojii  may  expe- 
rience what,  blessed  be  God,  I  do,  when  ye  come 
to  die !  May  you  have  the  pleasure  of  reflecting 
in  a  dying  hour,  that  with  faith  and  patie?ice,  zeal 
and  sincerity,  you  have  endeavored  to  serve  the 
Lord ;  that  each  of  you  may  be  impressed,  as  I 
have  been,  with  God's  word,  looking  upon  it  as 
substantial,  and  not  only  fearing,  but  unwilling  to 
offend  against  it." 

To  a  person  about  to  return  to  Princeton,  he 
said,  "  Give  my  love  to  the  people  of  Princeton ; 
tell  them  I  am  going  to  die,  and  that  I  am  not 
afraid  of  death."  He  would  sometimes  cry  out, 
'-  The  Lord  Jesus  take  care  of  his  cause  in  the 
world." 

Monday,  14th.  Waking  this  morning,  "  Oh  ! 
what  a  disappointment  have  I  met  with  ;  I  ex- 
pected this  morning  to  have  been  in  heaven !" 
His  great  ^veakness  prevented  his  much  speaking 
to-day :  what  few  words  he  uttered,  breathed  the 
language  of  triumph. 

Tuesday,  1 5th.  With  a  pleasing  smile  and 
strong  voice  he  cried  out,  "  Oh !  I  shall  triumph 
over  every  foe !     The  Lord  hath  given   me   the 


Death  of  Samuel  Flnley,  D.D.         315 

victory !  I  exult,  I  triumph.  Oh !  that  I  could 
see  untainted  purity!  Now  I  know  that  it  is 
impossible  that  faith  should  not  triumph  over 
earth  and  hell;  I  think  I  have  nothing  to  do  now 
but  to  die.  Perhaps  I  have ;  Lord,  show  me  my 
task." 

After  expressing  some  fears  that  he  did  not 
endeavor  to  preserve  his  remaining  Hfe,  through 
eagerness  to  depart,  and  being  told  he  did  nothing 
inconsistent  with  self-preservation,  he  said,  "  Lord 
Jesus,  into  thine  hands  I  commit  my  spirit.  /  do 
it  with  conjidence,  I  do  it  with  full  assurance.  I 
know  that  thou  wilt  keep  that  which  I  liave  com- 
mitted unto  thee.  I  have  been  dreaming  too  fast 
of  the  time  of  my  departure.  I  find  it  does  not 
come ;  but  the  Lord  is  faithful,  and  will  not  tarry 
beyond  his  appointed  time." 

When  one  who  attended  him  told  him  his  pulse 
grew  weaker,  he  expressed  with  pleasure,  that  it 
was  well.  He  often  would  put  forth  his  hand  to 
his  physicians,  and-  ask  them  how  his  pulse  beat ; 
and  would  rejoice  when  he  was  told  it  was  flutter- 
ing or  irregular. 

In  the  afternoon,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Spencer  came 
to  see  him,  and  said,  "  I  am  come,  dear  sir,  to  hear 
you  confirm  by  facts  the  gospel  you  have  preached. 
Pray  how  do  you  feel?"  The  doctor  replied, 
"  Full  of  triumph.  I  triumph  through  Christ. 
Nothing  clips  my  wings  but  the  thoughts  of  my 


316  Death  of  Samuel  Finley,  D.  D. 

dissolution  being  prolonged.  Oh  !  that  it  was  to- 
night. My  very  soul  thirsts  for  eternal  rest." 
Mr  Spencer  asked  him,  what  he  saw  in  eternity 
to  excite  such  vehement  desires  in  his  soul  ?  He 
replied,  "  I  see  a  God  of  love  and  goodness — I  see 
the  fulness  of  my  Mediator — I  see  the  love  of 
Jesus.  Oh  !  to  be  dissolved  ;  to  be  with  him  !  I 
long  to  be  clothed  with  the  complete  righteousness 
of  Christ,  not  only  imputed,  but  inherent."  He 
desired  Mr.  Spencer  to  pray  before  they  parted. 
"Pray  that  God  would  preserve  me  from  evil — 
that  he  would  keep  me  from  dishonoring  his  great 
name  in  this  critical  hour  ;  and  support  me  in  my 
passage  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death. 

He  spent  the  remaining  part  of  the  day  in  bid- 
ding farewell  to  and  blessing  his  friends;  and 
exhorting  such  of  his  children  as  were  with  him. 
He  would  frequently  cry  out,  "  Why  mov^e  the 
tardy  hours  so  slow." 

July  16th,  his  speech  failed  him.  He  made 
many  eiTorts  to  speak,  but  seldom  so  distinct  as  to 
be  understood.  Mr.  Roberdeau  desired  him  to 
give  some  token  whereby  his  friends  might  know 
whether  he  still  continued  to  triumph.  He  lifted 
up  bis  bands  and  said,  "Yes."  This  afternoon  he 
uttered  several  sentences,  but  little  could  be  col- 
lected from  them. 

Some  of  his  very  last  words  concerning  himself 
were,  "  After  one  or  two  more  cnsagements  the 


Death  of  Samuel  Finley,  D.D.         317 

conflict  will  be  over."  About  nine  o'clock  he  fell 
into  a  sound  sleep,  and  appeared  much  freer  from 
pain  than  for  several  days  before.  He  con- 
tinued to  sleep,  without  moving  in  the  least,  till  one 
o'clock ;  when  he  expired,  without  a  sigh  or  a 
groan,  or  any  kind  of  motion  sufficient  to  alarm 
his  wife,  and  those  friends  who  were  about  his 
bed.  During  his  whole  sickness,  he  was  never 
heard  to  utter  one  repining  word.  He  was  at 
times  tortured  with  the  most  excruciating  pains  ; 
yet  he  expressed  in  all  his  behavior  an  entire 
resignation  to  the  divine  will.  In  all  his  affecting 
farewells  to  his  relations  and  friends,  he  was  never 
seen  to  shed  a  tear,  or  show  the  least  mark  of  sor- 
row. He  often  checked  his  affectionate  wife  when 
she  was  weeping ;  and  he  expressed  his  unshaken 
confidence  in  the  promises  of  his  God,  whenever 
he  spoke  of  his  dear  children. 

His  truly  polite  behavior  continued  to  the  last, 
and  manifested  itself  whenever  he  called  for  a  drop 
of  drink  to  wet  his  lips.  Every  one  around  him 
was  treated  with  that  same  sweetness  and  ease 
that  were  so  peculiar  and  natural  to  him.  In  fine, 
he  was  a  most  striking  example  of  xliRt  faith  which 
kindles  love  in  the  heart,  and  produces  the  sweet 
fruits  of  meekness,  gentleness,  patience,  and  every 
Christian  grace  and  virtue." 


318       On  the  Death  of  Hume  and  Flnley. 


Remarks  on  the  preceding  accounts  of  the  death  of 
David  Hume,  Esq.  and  Samuel  Finley,  D.  D. 

The  common  sense  and  feelings  of  mankind 
have  always  taught  them  to  consider  death  as  a 
most  awful  and  interesting  event.  If  it  were 
nothing  more  than  a  separation  from  all  that  we 
love  in  this  world — the  dissolution  of  our  bodies — 
and  ihe  termination  of  our  present  mode  of  exist- 
ence— theTe  would  be  sufficient  reason  for  ap- 
proaching it  with  tender  and  solemn  reflection. 
But  when  we  add  those  anticipations  of  which 
very  few,  if  any,  can  wholly  divest  themselves ; 
that  scene  of  "  untried  being,"  which  lies  before 
us ;  and  especially  that  eternity  which  the  Chris- 
tian revelation  unfolds,  death  becomes  an  object 
of  unutterable  moment ;  and  every  sober  thought 
of  it, bears  upon  the  heart  with  a  weight  of  solici- 
tude which  it  is  not  in  the  power  of  unaided  reason 
to  remove.  The  mere  possibiliti/  of  our  living 
hereafter,  is  enough  to  engage  the  attention' of  a 
wise  man:  the  probahilify  of  it  is  too  grave  and 
affecting  to  leave  an  excuse  for  indifference :  and 
the  ccrtaint])  with  which  the  scriptures  speak  of  it, 
as  of  an  immortality  of  blessedness  or  of  wo,  allows 
to  light  and  ludicrous  speculations  concerning  it, 


On  the  Death  of  Hume  and  Fhiley.      319 

no   other  character  than   that  of  the  msanity  of 
wickedness. 

When  that  hoar  draws  nigh  which  shaU  close 
the  business  of  hfe,.  and  summon  the  spirit  to  the 
bar  of  "  God  who  gave  it,"  all  the  motives  to  de- 
ception cease,  and  those  false  reasonings  which 
blind  the  judgment  are  dissipated.  It  is  the  hour 
of  truth  and  of  sincerity.  Such,  at  least,  is  the 
general  fact  which  cannot  be  invalidated  by  the 
concession  that,  in  some  instances,  men  have  been 
found  to  cherish  their  infatuations,  and  practice 
their  knavery,  to  the  very  last.  Their  number,  in 
places  which  enjoy  the  pure  gospel,  the  only  ones 
in  our  present  view,  is  too  small  to  make  any  per- 
ceptible difference  in  the  amount ;  or  to  disparage 
that  respectful  credence  with  which  the  rustic  and 
the  sage  listen  to  the  testimony  of  a  dying  bed. 

By  this  testimony  the  ''gospel  of  the  grace  of 
God,"  has  obtained,  among  every  people  and  in 
every  age,  such  strong  confirmation,  and  has  car- 
ried into  the  human  conscience,  such  irresistible 
appeals  for  its  truth,  its  power,  and  its  glorious 
excellency,  that  its  enemies  have  labored  with  all 
their  might  to  discredit  these  triumphs.  They 
have  attacked  the  principle  upon  which  the  testi- 
mony of  a  dying  believer  rests.  They  have  said 
that  the  mind,  being  necessarily  enfeebled  by  the 
ravages  of  mortal  disease  upon  the  body,  is  not  a 
competent  judge  of  its  own  operations — that  the 


320       On  the  Death  of  Hume  and  Finley. 

looks,  the  tears,  the  whole  conduct  of  surrounding 
friends,  excite  artificial  emotions  in  the  dving — 
that  superstitition  has  a  prodigious  ascendancy 
over  their  imagination — that  their  joyful  impres- 
sions of  heaven  are  the  mere  reveries  of  a  disturbed 
brain — that  their  serenity,  their  steady  hope,  their 
placid  faith,  are  only  the  natural  consequence  of 
long  habit,  w^hich  never  operates  more  freely  than 
when  the  faculty  of  reflection  is  impaired.  All 
this,  and  more  like  this,  do  unhappy  -mortals  who 
take  or  pretend  to  take,  pleasure  in  putting  an  ex- 
tinguisher upon  the  light  of  life,  detail  with  an  air 
of  superiority,  as  if  they  had  fallen  upon  a  dis- 
covery which  merits  the  plaudits  of  the  world. 
But  were  it  even  so — were  the  Christian  victory 
over  death  only  a  dream,  it  is  a  dream  so  sweet 
and  blessed,  that  with  the  scourger  of  Lord  Boling- 
broke's  philosophy,  I  should  "account  that  man  a 
villain  that  awoke  me — awoke  me  to  truth  and 
misery."*  But  I  am  not  going  to  discuss  this 
question.  The  poor  infidel  does  not  believe  him- 
self, and  why  should  others  believe  him  ?  With 
one  breath  he  endeavors  to  cry  down  the  argument 
to  be  derived  in  favor  of  their  religion,  from  the 
peaceful  death  of  Christians;  and  with  the  next  to 
enlist  it  in  his  own  service.  He  omits  no  oppor- 
tunity of  celebrating  the  intrepidity  or  composure 

•  Hunter's  view  of  the  philosophical  character  and  writings  of 
Lord  Viscount  Bolingbroko. 


On  the  Death  of  Hume  and  Finley.      321 

displayed  by  sceptical  brethren  in  their  last  mo- 
ments. Let  the  letter  of  Dr.  Adam  Smith,  con- 
cerning the  death  of  David  Hume,  Esq.,  be  a 
proof.  Every  sentence  betrays  his  anxiety  to  set 
off  his  friend  to  the  best  advantage.  The  dullest 
observer  cannot  but  perceive  his  design,  to  com- 
pare Mr.  Hume  dying  an  infidel,  with  a  Christian 
dying  in  the  faith  of  Jesus.  Let  us  draw  out,  at 
length,  that  comparison  which  he  has  only  insinu- 
ated ;  and  that  the  effect  may  be  more  decisive, 
let  us  remember  that  the  whole  annals  of  unbelief 
do  not  furnish  a  more  favorable  example  than  he 
has  selected.  Mr.  Hume  was  a  man  of  undis- 
puted genius.  His  versatile  talent,  his  intense 
application,  his  large  acquirements,  and  his  uncom- 
mon acuteness,  place  him,  perhaps,  at  the  head  of 
those  enemies  of  revelation  who  attempt  to  reason; 
as  Voltaire  stands  without  a  rival  among  those 
who  only  scoff.  He  had,  besides,  what  rarely  be- 
longs to  the  ascertained  infidel,  a  good  moral  repu- 
tation. We  mean,  that  he  was  not  addicted  to 
lewdness,  to  drunkenness,  to  knavery,  to  profane 
swearing,*  or  any  of  those  grosser  vices  which  are 

*  On  further  recollection,  we  are  compelled  to  deduct  from  Mr. 
Hume's  morality,  his  freedom  fi-om  profane  swearing.  For,  in  an 
account  of  the  life  and  writings  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Robertson,  the  great 
historian,  drawn  up  by  Professor  Dugald  Stewart,  there  is  a  letter 
from  Mr.  Hume  to  the  doctor,  in  which  he  descends  to  the  coarse 
and  vulgar  profanity  of  the  ale-house,  and  the  main-deck.  To  ask 
his  reverend  correspondent,  the  principal  of  the  University  of  Edin- 
VOL.  IV.       2] 


322      On  the  Death  of  Hume  and  Finley. 

the  natural  and  ordinary  companions  of  enmity  to 
the  gospel  For  otherwise,  as  he  labored  to  unset- 
tle all  fixed  principles  of  belief;  to  overturn  the 
whole  system  of  moral  obligation;  to  obliterate  a 
sense  of  God's  authority  from  the  conscience ;  and 

burgh;  the  ecclesiastical  premier  of  the  church  of  Scotland,  "What 
the  devil  he  had  to  do  with  that  old-iashioned,  dangling  word,  lohere- 

with?"  and  to  tell  him,  "1  will  see  you  d d  sooner,"  viz.  than 

"swallow  your  hath.'"*— are  such  gross  violations  of  decency,  that 
unless  Mr.  Hume  had  been  accustomed  to  adorn  his  speech  with 
similar  expletives,  they  never  could  have  found  their  way  into  a 
familiar  letter ;  much  less  into  a  letter  designed  for  the  eye  of  a  man 
to  whom,  considering  his  profession  only,  they  were  a  direct  insult. 
We  do  not  wonder  that  Mr.  Stuart  should  "  hesitate  about  the  pro- 
priety of  subjecting  to  the  criticisms  of  the  world  so  careless  an 
effusion."  But,  knowing  as  we  do,  the  urbanity  of  that  gentleman's 
manners,  the  elegance  of  his  mind,  and  his  high  sense  of  decorum, 
we  much  wonder  that  his  hesitation  had  not  a  different  issue.  We 
fear  that  all  men  of  sobriety,  we  are  sure  that  all  men  of  religion, 
will  refuse  to  accept  Mr.  Hume's  "  gaiety  and  affection,"  as  an 
apology  for  his  vileness ;  or  to  let  it  pass  off  under  the  mask  of 
"playful  and  good-natured  irony."  If  a  philosopher's  "affection" 
must  vent  itself  in  ribaldiy,  if  he  cannot  be  "playful  and  good- 
natured,"  without  plundering  the  waterman  and  scavenger  of  their 
appropriate  phraseology,  we  own  that  his  conversation  has  no 
attractions  for  us.  Such  a  "glimpse"  as  this  letter  affords,  of  the 
"  writer  and  his  correspondent  in  the  habits  of  private  intercourse," 
is  far  fiom  "  suggesting  not  unpleasing  pictures  of  the  hours  which 
they  borrowed  from  business  and  study."  But  the  most  melancholy 
reflection  is,  that  such  intimacies  and  correspondences  furnish  an 
index  of  Dr.  Robertson's  own  character.  Tbe  infidels  never  al- 
lowed that  he  had  anything  of  the  Christian  minister  but  his  canoni- 
cals and  his  sermons.  With  these  exceptions  they  claimed  him  as 
their  own,  and  their  claim  appears  to  have  been  too  well  founded. 

*   An  account  of  ibe  Life  and  Writings  of  William  Uubertson,  D.  D., 
prefixed  to  his  works,  pp.  80,  81. 


On  the  Death  of  Iliimc  and  Finley,     323 

positively  to  inculcate  the  innocence  of  the  greatest 
crimes,  he  must  be  accounted  one  of  the  most 
flagitiously  immoral  men  that  ever  lived. 

His  panegyrist,  too,  was  a  man  of  superior  parts 
and  profound  erudition.  The  name  oi  Adam  Smith 
will  always  rank  high  in  the  republic  of  letters,  and 
will  never  be  pronounced  but  with  respect  by  the 
political  economist.  Mr.  Hume  can  have  lost 
nothing,  has  possibly  gained  much,  by  the  pen  of 
his  friend.  Taking  him,  therefore,  as  the  letter  to 
Mr.  Strahan  represents  him,  let  us  contrast  him 
with  that  servant  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  D?-. 
Samuel  Finley, 

Whatever  be  a  man's  opinions,  one  of  his  most 
rational  occupations  in  the  prospect  of  leaving  the 
world  is  to  look  back  upon  the  manner  in  which 
he  has  passed  through  it,  to  compare  his  duties 
with  his  conduct,  and  to  inquire  how  far  he  de- 
serves the  approbation  or  the  reproach  of  his  own 
conscience.  With  a  Christian,  this  admits  not  of 
dispute.  Nor  will  it  be  disputed  by  a  Deist,  who 
professes  his  faith  in  the  being  and  providence  of 
God,  and  a  state  of  rewards  and  punishments 
hereafter  proportioned  to  the  degree  of  crime, or 
of  virtue  here.  To  such  a  one  it  is,  upon  his  own 
principles,  a  question  of  unspeakable  importance, 
whether  he  shall  commence  his  future  existence 
with  hopes  of  happiness  or  with  fears  of  misery ; 
especially  as  he  relies  much  upon  the  efficacy  of 


324       On  the  Death  of  Hume  and  Finley. 

penitence  and  prayer  in  procuring  forgiveness  of 
liis  faults,  indulgence  to  his  infirmities,  and  a  gene- 
ral mitigation  of  whatever  is  unfavorable.  Nay, 
the  mortal  Deist,  or  the  Atheist  himself,  for  they 
are  not  worth  the  trouble  of  a  distinction,  ought, 
for  their  own  sakes  in  this  life,  to  be  so  employed. 
If  with  the  rejection  of  all  religious  constraint,  they 
have  not  also  uprooted  every  affection  of  their  na- 
ture, nothing  could  afford  them  more  gratification 
in  the  evening  of  theh*  days  than  the  consciousness 
of  their  having  contributed  something  to  the  mass 
of  human  comfort.  In  short,  whether  we  argue 
upon  Christian  or  unchristian  grounds,  it  can  be  the 
interest  of  none  but  the  worthless  and  the  malig- 
nant to  shut  their  eyes  upon  their  own  history,  and 
sink  down  in  death  as  a  bullock  drops  under  the 
knife  of  his  excutioner. 

Yet  strange  as  it  may  appear,  and  inconsistent 
as  it  certainly  is  with  his  high  pretensions,  there 
are  few  things  so  rare  as  a  dying  infidel  taking  a 
deliberate  retrospect  of  life.  We  say  a  deliberate 
retrospect;  for  it  is  undeniable,  that  on  many  of 
those,  who,  like  the  apostate  Julian,  waged  impla- 
cable war  with  the  Galilean,  conscience,  recover- 
ing from  its  slumbers,  has  at  the  hour  of  death,  or 
the  apprehension  of  it,  forced  an  unwilling  and 
tormenting  recollection  of  their  deeds.  The  point 
of  honor  in  their  philosophy  seems  to  be,  and  their 
utmost  attainment   is,  to   keep  completely  out  of 


On  the  Death  of  Hume  and  Finley.     325 

view  both  the  past  and  the  future.  This  was 
evidently  the  case  with  Mr.  Hume.  Read  over 
again  Dr.  Smith's  letter  to  Mr.  Strahan,  and  you 
will  not  find  a  syllable  from  which  you  could  gather 
that  there  is  an  hereafter,  a  providence,  or  a  God 
— not  a  sentence  to  indicate  that  Mr.  Hume  be- 
lieved he  had  ever  committed  a  sin,  or  was  in  any 
respect  an  accountable  being. 

Turn  now  away  from  the  philosopher,  and  hear 
what  a  believer  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  to 
say.  Melting  into  gratitude  for  that  mercy  which 
he  had  received  from  his  heavenly  Father,  he  goes 
back  to  the  commencement  of  his  Christian  course 
and  desires  his  friend  to  pray  that  God  "  would  be 
pleased  to  let  him  feel  just  as  he  did  at  that  time 
when  he  first  closed  with  Christ,"  and  the  rapture 
of  his  soul  came  near  to  the  blessedness  of  heaven. 
With  deep  humility  he  owns  his  sinfulness ;   not  a 

whisper  of  extenuation  or  apology  docs  he  utter 

"  I  know  not  in  what  language  to  speak  of  my  own 
unworthiness— I  have  been  undutiful."  But  with 
great  tenderness,  as  in  the  presence  of  the  Omnis- 
cient, he  attests  his  satistfaction  with  time  spent  in 
his  Christian  duties  and  enjoyments.     "I  can  truly 

say,  that  I  have  loved  the  service  of  God I  have 

honestly  endeavored  to  act  for  God,  but  with  much 
weakness  and  corruption— I  have  tried  my  Mas- 
ter's yoke,  and  will  never  shrink  my  neck  from  it." 
That  he  had  been  useful  to  others  and  instrumental 


326     On  the  Death  of  Hume  and  Finley, 

* 

in  their  salvation,  was  to  him  a  source  of  pure  and 
elevated  joy.  "  The  Lord  has  given  me  many 
souls  as  a  crown  of  my  rejoicing." 

What  think  you,  now,  reader,  of  Mr.  Hume  and 
Dr.  Finley,  with  regard  to  their  retrospect  of  life  ? 
Who  evinces  most  of  the  good  and  the  virtuous 
man  ?  Whose  reflections,  is  it  reasonable  to  con- 
clude, were  the  most  delightful?  His,  who  let 
none  of  them  escape  his  lips  \  or  his,  whose  words 
were  inadequate  to  express  their  abundance  or 
their  sweetness  ?  No;  the  one  had  not  delightful 
recollections  to  communicate.  High  happiness  is 
never  selfish.  The  overflowing  heart  pours  off  its 
exuberance  into  the  bosom  of  a  friend.  And  had 
Mr.  H.  had  anything  of  this  sort  to  impart,  his  com- 
panions and  encomiasts  would  have  shared  in  his 
pleasure,  and  would  not  have  forgotten  to  tell  the 
world  of  its  luxury.  Their  silence  is  a  sufficient 
comment. 

Let  us  extend  our  comparison  to  a  particular, 
which,  more  than  almost  anything  else,  touches 
the  pride  of  philosophy  ;  we  mean  the  dignify 
displayed  by  the  infidel  and  by  the  Christian  re- 
spectively. 

Ask  Dr.  Smith.  He  will  tell  you  that  at  the 
very  time  when  he  knew  his  dissolution  was  near, 
Mr.  Hume  continued  to  "  divert  himself  as  usual, 
with  correcting  his  own  works  for  a  new  edition ; 
with  reading  books  of  amusement ;  with  the  con- 


On  the  Death  of  Hume  and  Fmley.     327 

versation  of  his  friends ;  and  sometimes,  in  the 
evening,  with  a  party  at  his  favorite  game  of  whist." 
Behold  the  dying  occupation  of  a  captain  of  in- 
fidehty  !  Of  one  who  is  eulogized  "  as  approach- 
ing as  nearly  to  the  idea  of  a  perfectly  wise  and 
virtuous  man,  as  perhaps  the  nature  of  human 
frailty  will  admit" — his  most  serioi]^  employment 
is  "  diverting  himself."  Just  about  to  yield  up  his 
last  breath,  and  "diverting  himself!"  From  what? 
Let  them  answer  who  know  that  there  are  apt  to 
be  troublesome  visitors  to  the  imagination  and  the 
conscience  of  one  who  has  prostituted  his  powers 
to  the  purpose  of  spreading  rebellion  against  the 
God  who  made  him!  "Diverting  himself!"  With 
what  1  With  correcting  his  oiun  irorks  for  a  new 
edition  !  a  considerable  portion  of  which  "works" 
is  destined  to  prove  thai  justice,  mercy,  faith,  and 
all  the  circle  of  both  the  duties  and  charities,  are 
obligatory  only  because  they  are  useful ;  and,  by 
consequence,  that  their  opposites  shall  be  obliga- 
tory when  they  shall  appear  to  be  more  useful — 
that  the  religion  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  which  has 
"brought  life  and  immortality  to  light,"  is  an  im- 
posture— that  adultery  is  a  bagatelle,  and  suicide  a 
virtuft !  With  what  ?  With  reading  books  of 
amusement.  The  adventures  of  Don  Quixote;  the 
tales  of  the  genii ;  a  novel,  a  tragedy,  a  farce,  a 
collection  of  sonnets  ;  anything  but  those  sober  and 
searching  treatises  which  are  fit  for  one  who  "con- 


328      On  the  Death  of  Hume  and  Finley. 

siders  his  latter  end."  With  what  \  With  what  ? 
With  the  conversation  of  his  friends,  such  as  Dr. 
Smith,  and  Dr.  Black,  another  famous  infidel,  who, 
as  they  had  nothing  inviting  to  discuss  about  futu- 
rity, and  Mr.  Hume  could  not  bear  the  fatigue  of 
abstruse  speculation,  must  have  entertained  him 
with  all  that  jejune  small  talk  which  makes  great 
wits  look  so  very  contemptible  when  they  have 
nothing  to  say.  With  what  \  With  an  evening 
party  at  his  favorite  game  of  whist !  A  card-table  ! 
and  all  that  nauseous  gabble  for  which  the  card- 
table  is  renowned !  The  question  is  to  be  decided, 
whether  such  stupendous  faculties  as  had  been 
lavished  upon  Mr.  Hume  were  to  be  blasted  into 
annihilation ;  or  expanded  to  the  vision  and  fruition 
of  the  Infinite  Good  ;  or  converted  into  inlets  of 
endless  pain,  despair,  and  horror  ?  A  question 
•  which  might  convulse  the  abyss,  and  move  the 
thrones  of  heaven — and  while  the  decision  is  pre- 
paring, preparing  for  liim,  Mr.  H.  sits  down  to  a 
gaming-board,  with  gambling  companions,  to  be 
''diverted"  with  the  chances  of  the  cards  and  the 
edifying  conversation  to  which  they  give  rise ! 
Such  is  the  dignity  of  this  almost  "  perfectly  wise 
and  virtuous  man  !"  Such  a  iihilosoiiher  s  prepa- 
ration for  death ! 

Let  us  leave  him  at  the  card -table,  and  pay  a 
second  visit  to  Dr.  Finley.  From  his  gracious  lips 
not  a   trifling  word  escapes.     In  his  ardent  soul, 


On  the  Death  of  Hwmc  and  Finley.     329 

now  ready  to  speed  its  flight  to  the  spirits  of  the 
just,  there  is  uo  room  for  "diversion,"  for  "  correct- 
ing" compositions,  for  "books  of  amusement,"  or 
for  "games  of  wliist."  The  everlasting  Hfe  of 
those  around  him — the  spiritual  prosperity  of  a 
congregation  dear  to  him — the  interests  of  his  Re- 
deemer among  the  nations — these,  these  are  the 
themes  which  fill  his  thoughts  and  dwell  upon  his 
tongue,  "  Oh  that  each  of  you,"  says  he  to  the 
spectators  of  his  pain,  "  may  experience  what, 
blessed  be  God,  I  do,  when  ye  come  to  die." 
"  Give  my  love  to  the  people  of  Princeton ;  tell 
theai  that  I  am  going  to  die,  and  that  I  am  not 
afraid  of  death.  The  Lord  Jesus  take  care  of  his 
cause  in  the  world," 

The  manner  in  which  Mr,  H,  and  Dr.F,  directly 
contemplated  death,  and  the  effects  of  death,  pre- 
sents another  strong  point  of  contrast. 

It  is  evident  from  the  whole  of  Dr.  Smith's  nar- 
rative, that  the  former  confined  or  wished  to  con- 
fine his  view  to  the  mere  physical  event — to  the 
bodily  anguish  which  it  might  create,  and  its  put- 
ting a  period  to  earthly  enjoyments,  Tlie  whole 
of  the  philosopher's  "  magnanimity"  centres  here. 
Allowing  to  his  composure  under  these  views  of 
death  as  much  as  can  reasonably  be  demanded,  we 
do  not  perceive  in  \Xall  that  "magnanimity"  which 
is  perceived  by  Dr.  S.  Thousands,  who  had  no 
pretensions   to    philosophical   pre-eminence,    have 


330     On  the  Death  of  Hume  and  Finley. 

been  Mr.  H.'s  equals  on  this  ground.  If  he  had 
succeeded  in  persuading  himself,  as  his  writings  tend 
to  persuade  others,  that  the  spirit  of  man,  like  the 
spirit  of  a  beast,  "  goeth  downwards;"  that  when 
the  breath  should  leave  his  body,  there  would  be 
an  end  of  Mr.  Hume  ;  that  the  only  change  would 
be,  to  "  turn  a  few  ounces  of  blood  into  a  different 
channel" — to  vary  the  form  of  a  cluster  of  corpus- 
cles, or  to  scatter  a  bundle  of  perceptions  up  and 
down  through  that  huge  collection  of  impressions 
and  ideas,  that  stupendous  mass  of  nothings  of 
which  his  philosophy  had  sagaciously  discovered 
the  whole  material  and  intellectual  world  to  be 
composed — if  ihh  were  all,  we  cannot  discern  in 
what  his  magnanimity  consisted.  It  is  chiefly  as 
a  moral  event  that  death  is  interesting — as  an 
event  which,  instead  of  putting  an  end  to  our  ex- 
istence, only  introduces  us  to  a  mode  of  existence, 
as  much  more  interesting  than  the  present  as 
eternity  is  more  interesting  than  time. 

It  is  this  view  that  chiefly  engaged  the  atten- 
tion of  Dr.  Finley.  In  common  with  others  he 
was  to  undergo  the  pains  of  dissolution.  But  he 
rested  not  in  these.  He  fixed  his  eye  upoA  that 
new  form  which  all  his  relations  to  God,  to  holi- 
ness, to  sin,  and  the  inhabitants  of  the  future  world, 
were  shortly  to  assume.  The  reader,  we  doubt 
not,  perceives  the  immense  disparity  between  these 
cases.     Mr.  H.    looks   at  death    as  it   affects  the 


On   tilt  Death  of  Hume  and  Finley.     331 

affairs  of  this  world.  Dr.  F.  as  it  involves  eternal 
issues.  Mr.  H.,  according  to  his  own  notions,  had 
nothing  to  encounter  but  the  struggles  of  nature, 
and  nothing  to  lose  but  a  few  temporal  enjoyments. 
Before  Dr.  F.  was  the  tribunal  of  God,  and  the 
stake  at  hazard  was  an  immortal  soul.  An  error 
here  is  irretrievable :  the  very  thought  of  its  possi- 
bility is  enough  to  shake  every  fibre  of  the  frame ; 
and  proportionably  precious  and  certain  must  be 
that  religion  which  can  assure  the  believer  of  his 
safety,  and  convey  him  with  peacefulness  and 
pleasure  to  Ms  Father's  house. 

This  being  the  case,  let  us  weigh  the  consola- 
tions of  the  philosopher  against  those  of  the  Chris- 
tian. 

Dr.  Smith  has  made  the  most  of  them  in  behalf 
of  the  former,  but  a  very  little  scrutiny  will  show 
that  they  are  hght  and  meagre  indeed.  "  I  am 
dying,"  they  are  the  words  of  Mr.  H.,  "  as  easily 
and  cheerfully  as  my  best  friends  could  desire." 
"  When  he  became  very  weak,"  says  Dr.  Black, 
"  it  cost  him  an  effort  to  speak ;  and  he  died  in 
such  a  happy  composure  of  mind,  that  nothing 
could  exceed  it." 

We  are  not  without  suspicion,  that  on  the  part 
of  Mr.  H.  there  is  some  affectation  here  ;  and  on 
the  part  of  his  friends,  some  pretty  high  coloring. 
In  the  mouth  of  a  Christian,  "  composure,"  "  cheer- 
fulness,"   "complacency,"    "resignation,"    "  happi- 


332     On  the  Death  of  Hume  and  Finley. 

ness,"  in  death,  have  an  exquisite  meaning.  But 
what  meaning  can  thej  have  in  the  mouth  of  one, 
the  very  best  of  whose  expectations  is  the  extinc- 
tion of  his  being  ?  Is  there  any  "  complacency"  in 
the  thought  of  perishing?  any  "happiness"  in  the 
dreary  and  dismal  anticipation  of  being  blotted  out 
of  life  X  It  is  a  farce ;  it  is  a  mockery  of  every 
human  feehng ;  and  every  throbbing  of  the  heart 
convicts  it  of  a  lie.  But  Mr.  Hume  expected  a 
better  state  of  existence — nay,  talk  not  of  that. 
There  is  not,  either  in  his  own  expressions  or 
those  of  his  friends,  the  faintest  allusion  to  futurity. 
That  glorious  light,  which  shines  through  the  grave 
upon  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord,  was  the  object  of 
his  derision.  No  comfort  from  this  quarter.  The 
accomplishment  of  his  earthlj?  wishes  and  the 
prosperity  of  his  near  relatives,  are  the  only  reasons 
assigned  for  his  cheerfulness.  But  these  are  insuf- 
ficient. In  thousands  and  ten  thousands  they  have 
not  availed  to  preclude  the  most  alarming  forebo- 
dings; and  why  should  they  do  more  for  Mr. 
Hume? 

In  the  next  place,  how  shall  we  interpret  his 
♦'resignation?"  Resignation  to  what?  To  the 
Divine  Will?  O  no!  God  was  not  in  all  his 
thoughts.  But  death  was  at  hand,  and-he  could 
not  escape;  he  submitted  to  a  stroke  which  it  was 
impossible  to  avoid.  And  all  that  is  said  of  his 
"composure,"   and   "cheerfulness,"   and   "  resigna- 


On  the  Death  of  Hume  and  Finley.     333 

tion,"  and  "  complacency,"  when  measured  by  the 
scale  of  truth,  amounts  to  no  more  than  a  sottish 
unconcern  set  off  with  a  fictitious  gaiety.  It  is 
easy  to  work  up  a  fine  description,  and  it  is  often 
most  fine  when  most  remote  from  the  fact.  Let 
any  infidel  between  the  poles  produce,  if  he  can,  a 
reason  that  shall  satisfy  a  child  why  one,  who  has 
lived  without  God,  should  find  "  complacency"  in 
death.  Nothing  but  that  "  hope  which  maketh  not 
ashamed"  is  a  cause  equal  to  such  an  effect.  But 
"hope"  beyond  the  grave  is  a  word  which  had  no 
place  in  Mr.  Hume's  vocabulary,  because  the  thing 
had  no  place  in  his  soul.  It  is  plain,  however, 
that  he 

Felt  his  ruling  passion  strong  in  death. 

Whatever  his  decay  had  weakened,  his  desire  to 
see  "  the  downfall  of  some  of  the  prevailing  sys- 
tems of  superstition,"  which  with  Mr.  Hume  meant 
neither  more  nor  less  than  the  destruction  of 
Christianity,  in  every  modification,  retained  its 
whole  vigor.  And  thus,  while  venting  his  spite  at 
the  only  "system"  which  ever  could  render  death 
comfortable,  he  goes  to  Lucien's  dialogues,  and 
edifies  his  friends  with  chattering  nonsense  about 
Charon  and  his  boat !  O  cacas  hominum  mentes  ! 
Nothing  can  be  more  blind  and  infatuated  than 
the  fanaticism  of  philosophy  "  falsely  so  called," 
With   this  puerile  levity  before  our  eyes,  and  this 


334      On.  the  Death  of  Hume  and  Finley. 

contemptible  babbling  sounding  in  our  ears,  we 
must  listen  to  tales  of  Mr.  Hume's  magnanimity, 
complacency,  and  resignation ! 

From  a  barren  exhibition  of  atheism,  let  us 
repair  once  more  to  the  servant  of  God.  In  Dr. 
Finley  we  see  a  man  dying,  not  only  with  cheer- 
fulness, but  with  ecstasy.  Of  his  friends,  his  wife, 
his  .children,  he  takes  a  joyful  leave  ;  committing 
all  that  he  held  most  dear  in  this  world,  not  to  the 
uncertainties  of  earthly  fortune,  but  to  the  "prom- 
ises of  his  God."  Although  his  temporal  circum- 
stances were  very  moderate;  although  he  had  sons 
and  daughters  to  provide  for,  and  slender  means 
of  doing  it,  he  felt  not  a  moment's  uneasiness — 
Leave  thy  fatherless  children  with  me;  I  will  pre- 
serve them  alive;  and  let  thy  ividotvs  trust  in  me, 
was,  in  his  estimation,  a  better  security  for  their 
support  than  any  inheritance  in  lands  or  lucre. 
And  as  to  death  itself — who  but  one  "filled  with 
hopes  full  of  immortality"  could  use  such  language 
as  this — "A  Christian's  death  is  the  best  part  of 
his  existence" — "  Blessed  be  God!  eternal  rest  is  at 
hand."  "0  1  shall  triumph  over  every  foe,"  (he 
meant  sin,  Satan,  death,  the  grave,)  "the  Lord 
hath  given  me  the  victory — I  exult ;  I  triumph  I 
Now  I  know  that  it  is  impossible  that  faith  should 
not  triumph  over  earth  and  hell" — "Lord  Jesus, 
into  thy  hands  I  commit  my  spirit;  I  do  it  with 
confidence ;  I  do  it  with  fall   assurance.     I  know 


On  the  Death  of  Hume  and  Firdey.     335 

that  thou  wilt  keep  that  which  I  have  committed 
unto  thee  ?"    We  appeal  to  all  the  world,  whether 
anything  like  this,  anything  that  deserves  so  much 
as  to  be  named  in  comparison,  ever  fell  from  the 
lips  of  an  infidel.     How  poor,   how  mean,   how 
miserable,  does  he  look,  when  brought  to  the  con- 
trast !     Let  the  reader  review  again  the  situation 
of  Dr.  Finley,  ponder  his  words,  and  mark  their 
spirit;  and  then  let  him  go  back  to  Mr.  Hume's 
"diversion"— to  his  correcting  his  atheistical  wri- 
tings for  a  new  edition— to  his  "books  of  amuse- 
ment "—to  his  "game   of  whist"— to   his  insipid 
raillery  about  Charon   and  his  boat !      Truly  the 
infidels  have   cause   to  look   big,  and  despise  the 
followers   of    Jesus    Christ!     "Pray   sir,"    said    a 
young  man  to  the  late  Dr.  Black,  in  the  presence 
of  a  juvenile   company  at  the    Dr.'s    own    table, 
"Pray,    sir,   how    did   Mr.    Hume    die?"       "Mr.' 
Hume,"  answered  the  sceptical  chemist,  with  an  air 
of  great  significance,  "Mr.  Hume  died  as  he  hved, 
a  jyhilosopherr     Dr.  Black  himself  has  aided  Dr.' 
Smith  iu  telling  us  what  the  death  o^  ?i  philosopher 
IS.     It  has   taught  us,  if  nothing  before  did,  that 
the  pathetic  exclamation,  "Let   my  soul  be   with 
the  philosophers,"  belongs  to  one  who  is  a  stranger 
to  truth   and   happiness.      If   they   resemble    Mr. 
Hume,  we  will  most  devoutly  exclaim,  "  Furthest 
from   them   is  best."     Let   our  souls  be  with  the 
Christjans !    with    the    humble    believers    in    that 


336      On  the  Death  of  Hume  and  Finley. 

Jesus  who  is  "  the  resurrection  and  the  life."  Let 
them  be  with  Samuel  Finley;  let  them  not  be  with 
David  Hume  ! 

We  cannot  close  these  strictures  without  again 
reminding  the  reader,  that  no  instance  of  compo- 
sure in  death  is  to  be  found  more  favorable  to  the 
infidel  boast  than  the  instance  of  Mr.  Hume.  And 
yet,  how  jejune  and  forlorn  does  he  appear  in  com- 
parison of  Dr.  Finley.  The  latter  longs  for  his 
departure,  "  as  the  hireling  pants  for  the  evening 
shade ;"  and  when  it  comes,  he  pours  around  him 
his  kindly  benedictions ;  his  eye  beams  with  celes- 
tial brilliancy;  he  shouts,  Salvation  !  and  is  away 
to  "  the  bosom  of  his  Father  and  his  God." 

But  in  the  other  all  is  blank.  No  joy  sparkles 
in  his  eye ;  no  hope  swells  his  bosom  ;  an  unmean- 
ing smile  is  on  his  countenance,  and  frigid  ridicule 
dishonors  his  lips.  Be  it  never  forgotten,  that  no 
infidels  die  in  triunijjh !  The  utmost  to  which 
they  pretend  is  dying  with  calmness.  Even  this 
rarely  happens ;  and,  the  scripture  being  judge,  it 
is  a  part  of  their  accursedness.  It  imparts  the 
deepest  horror  to  the  s^irprise  of  the  eternal  world. 
But,  if  you  reverse  the  picture,  and  ask  how  many 
infidels  close  their  career  in  anguish,  in  distraction, 
in  a  fearful  looldng  for  of  judgment  and  fiery  in- 
dignation which  shall  devour  the  adversaries? 
how  endless  is  the  train  of  wretches,  how  piercing 
their    cry !      That   arcli-blasphcmer,  Voltaire,    left 


On  the   Death  of  Hume  and  Finley.     337 

the  world  with  hell  anticipated ;  and  we  hear  so 
frequently  of  his  disciples  "  going  to  their  own 
place  "  in  a  similar  manner,  that  the  dreadful  narra- 
tives lose  their  effect  by  repetition.  It  was  quite 
recently  that  a  youth  in  the  state  of  New  York, 
who  had  been  debauched  by  the  ribaldrous  impiety 
of  Paine,  yielded  up  the  ghost  with  dire  impreca- 
tions on  the  hour  when  he  first  saw  an  infidel 
book,  and  on  the  murderer  who  first  put  it  into  his 
hand.  But  who  ever  heard  of  a  dying  man's  curs- 
ing the  day  in  which  he  beheved  in  Jesus?  While 
such  an  instance,  we  are  bold  to  assert,  never 
occurred,  nothing  is  more  common  than  the  peace- 
ful death  of  them  who  have  "tasted  that  the  Lord 
is  gracious."  They  who  see  practical  Christianity 
in  those  retreats  which  the  eye  of  a  profane  philo- 
sopher seldom  penetrates,  could  easily  fill  a  long 
record  of  dying  beds  softened  with  that  bland  sub- 
mission, and  cheered  with  that  victorious  hope, 
which  threw  so  heavenly  a  lustre  round  the  bed 
of  Dr.  Finley. 

These  things  carry  with  them  their  own  recom- 
mendation to  the  conscience,  which  is  not  yet 
"  seared  as  with  a  hot  iron,"  If  our  pages  fall  into""" 
the  hands  of  the  young,  we  affectionately  entreat 
them  to  "  remember  their  Creator  in  the  days  of 
their  youth  f'  "to  make  their  calling  and  their 
election  sure,"  before  they  be  "  hardened  by  th  ; 
deceitfulness  of  sin."  Rich  are  the  tints  of  thai: 
VOL.  IV.       22 


338     On  the  Death  of  Hume  and  Finley. 

beauty,  and  sweet  the  fragrance  of  those  blossoms, 
on  which,  in  the  morning  of  Hfe,  the  Lord  our  God 
sheds  down  the  dews  of  his  blessing.  You  would 
not  wish  to  be  associuted  with  infidels  in  their 
death  ;  shun  the  contagion  of  their  principles  while 
you  are  in  spirits  and  in  health.  Your  hearts 
cannot  but  sigh,  "Let  me  die  the  death  of  the 
righteous,  and  let  my  last  end  be  like  his,"  Cast 
in,  then,  your  lot  with  him ;  choose  for  your  own 
God  the  God  of  Samuel  Finley ;  and  like  him, 
you  shall  have  "hope  in  your  death;"  like  him, 
you  shall  be  had  in  everlasting  remembrance," 
when  "  the  memory  of  the  wicked  shall  rot," 


CONVERSATION 


YOUNG    TRAVELER 


V 


CONVERSATION 

WITH    A 

YOUNG     TRAVELER, 


Every  one  has  remarked  the  mixed,  and  often 
ill-assorted  company,  which  meets  in  a  public 
packet  or  stage-coach.  The  conversation,  with 
all  its  variety,  is  commonly  insipid,  frequently  dis- 
gusting, and  sometimes  insufferable.  There  are 
exceptions.  An  opportunity  now  and  then  occurs 
of  spending  an  hour  in  a  manner  not  unworthy 
of  rational  beings ;  and  the  incidents  of  a  stage- 
coach produce  or  promote  salutary  impressions. 

A  few  years  ago,  one  of  the  stages  which  ply 
between  our  two  principal  cities,  was  filled  with  a 
group  which  could  never  have  been  drawn  together 
by  mutual  choice.  In  the  company  was  a  young 
man  of  social  temper,  affable  manners,  and  con- 
siderable information.  His  accent  was  barely 
sufficient  to  show  that  the  English  was  not  his 
native  tongue,  and  a  very  slight  peculiarity  in  the 


342  Conversation  with  a 

pronunciation  of  the  th  ascertained  him  to  be  a 
Hollander.  He  had  early  entered  into  military 
life ;  had  borne  both  a  Dutch  and  French  com- 
mission, had  seen  real  service,  had  traveled,  was 
master  of  the  EngUsh  language ;  and  evinced,  by 
his  deportment,  that  he  was  no  stranger  to  the 
society  of  gentlemen.  He  had,  however,  in  a 
very  high  degree,  a  fault  too  common  among  mili- 
tary men,  and  too  absurd  to  find  an  advocate 
among  men  of  sense:  he  swore  profanely  and 
incessantly. 

While  the  horses  were  changing,  a  gentleman 
who  sat  on  the  same  seat  with  him,  took  him  by 
the  arm,  and  requested  the  favor  of  his  company 
in  a  short  walk.  When  they  were  so  far  retired 
as  not  to  be  overheard,  the  former  observed, 
"  Although  I  have  not  the  honor  of  your  acquaint- 
ance, I  perceive,  sir,  that  your  habits  and  feelings 
are  those  of  a  gentleman,  and  that  nothing  can  be 
more  repugnant  to  your  wishes,  than  giving  unne- 
cessary pain  to  any  of  your  company."  He  started 
and  replied,  "Most  certainly,  sir!  I  hope  I  have 
committed  no  offence  of  that  sort.'' 

"  You  will  pardon  me,"  replied  the  other,  "  for 
pointing  out  an  instance  in  which  you  have  not 
altogether  avoided  it." 

"Sir,"  said  he,  "I  shall  be  nmch  your  debtor  for 
so  friendly  an  act :  for,  upon  my  honor,  I  cannot 
conjecture  in  what  T  have  transgressed." 


Young   Traveler.  343 

"If  you,  sir,"  continued  the  former,  "had  a  very 
dear  friend  to  whom  you  were  under  unspeakable 
obUgations,  should  you  not  be  deeply  wounded  by 
any  disrespect  to  him,  or  even  by  hearing  his  name 
introduced  and  used  with  a  frequency  of  repetition 
and  a  levity  of  air  incompatible  with  the  regard 
due  to  his  character  ?" 

"  Undoubtedly;  and  I  should  not  permit  it !  But 
I  know  not  that  I  am  chargeable  with  indecorum 
to  any  of  your  friends." 

"  Sir,  my  God  is  my  best  friend,"  to  whom  I  am 
under  infinite  obligations.  I  think  you  must  recol- 
lect that  you  have  very  frequently,  since  we  com- 
menced our  journe}'^,  taken  his  name  in  vain.  This 
has  given  to  me,  and  to  others  of  the  company,  ex- 
cruciating pain." 

"  Sir,"  answered  he,  with  very  ingenuous  em- 
phasis, "  I  have  done  wrong.  I  confess  the  impro- 
priety. I  am  ashamed  of  a  practice  which  I  am 
sensible  has  no  excuse ;  but  I  have  imperceptibly 
fallen  into  it,  and  I  really  swear  without  being 
conscious  that  I  do  so.  I  will  endeavor  to  abstain 
from  it  in  future ;  and  as  you  are  next  me  in  the 
seat,  I  shall  thank  you  to  touch  my  elbow  as  often 
as  I  trespass."  This  was  agreed  upon  :  the  horn 
sounded,  and  the  travelers  resumed  their  places. 

In  the  space  of  four  or  five  miles  the  officer's 
elbow  was  jogged  every  few  seconds.  He  always 
colored,  but  bowed,  and  received  the  hint  without 


344  Conversation  with  a 

the  least  symptom  of  displeasure ;  and  in  a  few 
miles  more  so  mastered  his  propensity  to  swearing, 
that  not  an  oath  was  heard  from  his  lips  for  the 
rest,  which  was  the  greater  part  of  the  journey. 

He  was  evidently  more  grave ;  and  having  ru- 
minated some  time,  after  surveying  first  one  and 
then  another  of  the  company,  turned  to  his  ad- 
monisher  and  addressed  him  thus : 

"  You  are  a  clergyman,  I  presume,  sir." 

"I  am  considered  as  such."  He  paused;  and 
then,  with  a  smile,  indicated  his  disbelief  in  divine 
revelation,  in  a  way  which  invited  conversation  on 
that  subject. 

"  I  have  never  been  able  to  convince  myself  of 
the  truth  of  revelation." 

"  Possibly  not.     But  what  is  your  difficulty  ? 

"  I  dislike  the  nature  of  its  proofs.  They  are  so 
subtle,  so  distant,  so  wrapt  in  mystery,  so  meta- 
physical, that  I  get  lost,  and  can  arrive  at  no  cer- 
tain conclusion." 

"  I  cannot  admit  the  fact  to  be  as  you  represent  it 
My  impressions  are  altogether  different.  Nothing 
seems  to  me  more  plain  and  popular  ;  more  level  to 
every  common  understanding ;  more  remote  from 
all  cloudy  speculation,  or  teazing  subtleties,  than 
some  of  the  principal  proofs  of  divine  revelation. 
They  are  drawn  from  great  and  incontcstible 
facts  ;  they  are  accumulating  every  hour.  They 
have  grown  into  such  a  mass  of  evidence,  that  the 


Young   Traveler.  345 

supposition  of  its  falsehood  is  iofinitely  more 
incredible  than  any  one  mystery  in  the  volumes 
of  revelation,  or  even  than  all  their  mysteries  put 
together.  Your  inquiries,  sir,  appear  to  have  been 
unhappily  directed — but  what  sort  of  proof  do  you 
desire,  and  w^hat  would  satisfy  you]" 

"  Such  proofs  as  accompany  physical  science. 
This  I  have  always  loved ;  for  I  never  find  it 
deceive  me.  I  rest  upon  it  with  entire  conviction. 
There  is  no  mistake,  and  can  be  no  dispute  in 
mathematics.  And  if  a  revelation  comes  from 
God,  why  have  we  not  such  evidence  for  it  as 
mathematical  demonstration  ?" 

"  Sir,  you  are  too  good  a  philosopher  not  to 
know  that  the  nature  of  evidence  must  be  adapted 
to  the  nature  of  its  object;  that  if  you  break  in 
upon  this  adaptation,  you  will  have  no  evidence  at 
all ;  seeing  that  evidence  is  no  more  interchange- 
able than  objects.  If  you  ask  for  mathematical 
evidence,  you  must  confine  yourself  to  mathemati- 
cal disquisitions.  Your  subject  must  be  quantity. 
If  you  wish  to  pursue  a  moral  investigation,  you 
must  quit  your  mathematics,  and  confine  yourself 
to  moral  evidence.  Your  subject  must  be  the 
relations  tohich  subsist  hetiveen  intelligent  beings. 
It  would  be  quite  as  wise  to  apply  a  rule  in  ethics 
to  the  calculation  of  an  eclipse,  as  to  call  for 
Euchd  when  we  want  to  know  our  duty,  or  to 
submit  the  question,  "  whether  God  has  spoken," 


3^6  Conversation  with  a 

to  the  test  of  a  problem  in  the  conic  sections. 
How  would  you  prove  mathematically  that  bread 
nourishes  men,  and  that  fevers  kill  them?  Yet 
you  and  I  both  are  as  firmly  convinced  of  the 
truth  of  these  propositions,  as  of  any  mathematical 
demonstration  whatever,  and  should  1  call  them  in 
question,  my  neighbors  would  either  pity  me  as  an 
idiot,  or  shut  me  up  as  a  madman.  It  is,  there- 
fore, a  great  mistake  to  suppose  that  there  is  no 
satisfactory  nor  certain  evidence  but  what  is  redu- 
cible to  mathematics." 

This  train  of  reflection  appeared  new  to  him. 
For,  however  obvious  it  is,  we  must  remember, 
that  nothing  is  more  superficial  than  freethinking 
philosophy,  and  nothing  more  credulous  than  its 
unbelief  Dogmatical  positions,  asserted  with  con- 
fidence, set  off  with  small  ridicule,  and  favorable 
to  native  depravity,  have  a  prodigious  effect  upon 
the  volatile  youth ;  and  persuade  him  that  they 
have  enlightened  his  understanding,  when  they 
have  only  flattered  his  vanity,  or  corrupted  his 
heart. 

The  officer,  though  staggered,  made  an  effort  to 
maintain  his  ground,  and  lamented  that  the  "  ob- 
jections to  other  modes  of  reasoning  are  numerous 
and  perplexing,  while  the  mathematical  conclusion 
puts  all  scepticism  at  defiance." 

"  Sir,"  rejoined  the  clergyman,  "objections  against 
a  thing  fairly  proved,  are  of  no  weight.     The  proof 


Youvg    Traveler.  347 

rests  upon  our  knowledge,  and  the  objections  upon 
our  ignorance.  Is  is  true,  that  moral  demonstra- 
tions and  rehgious  doctrines  may  be  attacked  in  a 
very  ingenious  and  plausible  manner,  because  they 
involve  questions  on  which  our  ignorance  is  greater 
than  our  knowledge;  but  still  our  knowledge  is 
knowledge  ;  or,  in  other  words,  our  certainty  is 
certainty.  In  mathematical  reasoning,  our  know- 
ledge is  greater  than  our  ignorance.  When  you 
have  proved  that  the  three  angles  of  every  triangle 
are  equal  to  tivo  right  arigles,  there  is  an  end  of 
doubt ;  because  there  are  no  materials  for  ignorance 
to  work  up  into  phantoms ;  but  your  knowledge  is 
really  no  more  certain  than  your  knowledge  on 
any  other  subject. 

"  There  is  also  a  deception  in  this  matter.  The 
defect  complained  of  is  supposed  to  exist  in  the 
nature  of  the  proof;  whereas  it  exists,  for  the  most 
part,  in  the  mind  of  the  inquirer.  It  is  impossible 
to  tell  how  far  the  influence  of  human  depravity 
obscures  the  light  of  human  reason." 

At  the  mention  of  "  depravity,"  the  officer 
smiled,  and  seemed  inclined  to  jest;  probably  sus- 
pecting, as  is  common  with  men  of  that  class,  that 
his  antagonist  was  going  to  retreat  into  his  cree<l, 
and  intrench  himself  behind  a  technical  term,  in- 
stead of  an  argument.  The  triumph  was  prema- 
ture. 

"  You  do  not  imagine,  sir,"  said  he,  continuing 


348  Conversation  with  a 

his  discourse  to  the  officer,  "you  do  not  imagine 
that  a  man  who  has  been  long  addicted  to  steal- 
ing, feels  the  force  of  reasoning  against  theft  as 
strongly  as  a  man  of  tried  honesty.  If  you  hesi- 
tate, proceed  a  step  further.  You  do  not  imagine 
that  an  habitual  thief  feels  as  much  abhorrence  of 
his  own  trade  and  character,  as  a  man  who  never 
committed  an  act  of  theft  in  his  whole  life.  And 
you  will  not  deny  that  the  practice  of  aiiy  crime 
gradually  w^eakens,  and  frequently  destroys,  the 
sense  of  its  turpitude.  This  is  a  '^ivowg  fact,  which, 
as  a  philosopher  you  are  bound  to  explain.  To 
me  it  is  clear  as  the  day,  that  his  vice  has  de- 
bauched his  intellect :  for  it  is  indisputable,  that  the 
considerations  which  once  filled  him  with  horror, 
produce  7ioiv  no  more  impression  upon  him  than 
they  would  produce  upon  a  horse.  Why  ?  Has 
the  vice  changed  ?  Have  the  considerations 
changed  ?  No.  The  vice  is  as  pernicious  and 
the  considerations  are  as  strong  as  ever.  But 
his  power  of  perceiving  truth  is  diminished;  and 
diminished  by  his  vice ;  for,  had  he  not  fallen  into 
it,  the  considerations  would  have  retained,  and 
(should  he  be  saved  from  it)  they  would  resume 
their  original  force  upon  his  mind.  Permit  your- 
self, for  one  moment,  to  reflect  how  hard  it  is  to 
persuade  men  of  the  virtues  of  others  against  whom 
they  are  prejudiced!  You  shall  bring  no  proof  of 
the  virtues  which  the  prejudice  shall  not  resist  or 


Youns  Traveler.  349 


'■b 


evade.  Remove  the  prejudice,  and  the  proof 
appears  invincible.  Why  ?  Have  the  virtues 
changed  ?  has  the  proof  been  strengthened  X  No. 
But  the  power  of  perceiving  truth  is  increased ;  or 
which  is  the  same  thing,  the  impediment  to  per- 
ceiving it  is  taken  away.  If,  then,  there  are  bad 
passions  among  men  ;  and  if  the  object  of  divine 
revelation  is  to  control  and  rectify  them  ;  it  follows, 
that  a  man  to  whom  the  revelation  is  proposed,  will 
be  blind  to  its  evidence,  in  exact  proportion  to  the 
perverting  influence  of  those  passions.  And  were 
the  human  mind  free  from  corruption,  there  is  no 
reason  whatever  to  think  that  a  moral  argument 
would  not  be  as  conclusive  as  a  mathematical 
argument  is  now;  and  that  the  principles  of  moral 
and  religious  science,  would  not  command  an 
assent  as  instantaneous  and  peremptory  as  that 
which  is  commanded  by  mathematical  axioms." 

After  a  short  pause,  in  which  no  reply  was 
made  by  the  officer,  and  the  looks  of  the  company 
revealed  their  sentiments,  the  clergyman  pro- 
ceeded : 

"  But  what  will  you  say,  sir,  should  I  endeavor 
to  turn  the  tables  upon  you,  by  showing  that  the 
evidence  of  your  physical  science  is  not  without 
its  difficulties;  and  that  objections  can  be  urged 
against  mathematical  demonstration  more  puzzling 
and  unanswerable  than  any  objections  against 
moral  evidence?" 


350  Conversation  with  a 

"  I  shall  yield  the  cause ;  but  1  am  sure  that  the 
condition  is  impossible." 

"Let  us  trv,"  said  the  other. 

"I  begin  with  a  common  case.  The  Newtonian 
system  of  the  world  is  so  perfectly  settled,  that  no 
scholar  presumes  to  question  it.  Go,  then,  to  a 
peasant  who  never  heard  of  Newton,  nor  Coper- 
nicus, nor  the  solar  system ;  and  tell  him  that  the 
earth  moves  round  its  axis,  and  round  the  sun. 
He  will  stare  at  you,  to  see  whether  you  be  not 
jeering  him  ;  and  when  he  sees  you  are  in  earnest, 
he  will  laugh  at  you  for  a  fool.  Ply  him,  now,  with 
your  mathematical  and  astronomical  reasoning. 
He  will  answer  you,  that  he  believes  his  own  eye- 
sight more  than  your  learning ;  and  his  eyesight 
tells  him  the  sun  moves  round  the  earth.  And  as 
for  the  earth's  turning  round  upon  her  axis,  he  will 
say,  that  'he  has  often  hung  a  kettle  over  the 
kitchen  fire  at  night,  and  when  he  came  back  in 
the  morning  it  was  hanging  there  still ;  but,  had 
the  earth  turned  round,  the  kettle  would  have  been 
turned  over,  and  the  mash  spilled  over  the  floor.' 
You  are  amused  with  the  peasant's  simpHcity,  but 
you  cannot  convince  him.  His  objection  is,  in  his 
own  eyes,  insurmountable :  he  will  tell  the  affair 
to  his  neighbors  as  a  good  story ;  and  they  will 
agree  that  he  fairly  shut  the  philosopher's  mouth. 
You  may  reply,  that  'the  peasant  was  introduced 
into  the  middle  of  a  matured  science,  and  that,  not  / 


Youns"   Traveler.  351 


"a 


having  learned  its  elements,  he  was  unsupplied 
with  the  principles  of  correct  judgment'  True; 
but  your  solution  has  overthrown  yourself.  A  free- 
thinker, when  he  hears  some  great  doctrine  of 
Christianity,  lets  off  a  small  objection,  and  runs 
away  laughing  at  the  folly,  or  railing  at  the  impos- 
ture of  all  who  venture  to  defend  a  divine  revela- 
tion ;  he  gathers  his  brother  unbelievers,  and  they 
unite  with  him  in  wondering  at  the  weakness  or 
the  impudence  of  Christians.  He  is  in  the  very 
situation  of  the  peasant.  He  bolts  into  the  heart 
of  a  grand  religious  system ;  he  has  never  adverted 
to  its  first  principles,  and  then  he  complains  that 
the  evidence  is  bad.  But  the  fault  in  neither  case 
lies  in  the  evidence  :  it  hes  in  the  ignorance  or 
obstinacy  of  the  objector.  The  peasant's  ground 
is  as  firm  as  the  infidel's.  The  proof  of  the  New- 
tonian system  is  to  the  former  as  distant,  subtle, 
and  cloudy,  as  the  proof  of  revelation  can  be  to 
the  latter;  and  the  objection  of  the  one,  as  good 
as  the  objection  of  the  other.  If  the  depravity  of 
men  had  as  much  interest  in  persuading  them  that 
the  earth  is  not  globular,  and  does  not  move  round 
the  sun,  as  it  has  in  persuading  them  that  the  Bible 
is  not  true,  a  mathematical  demonstration  would 
fail  of  converting  them,  although  the  demonstrator 
were  an  angel  of  God! 

"  But  with  respect  to  the  other  point,  viz.  that 
there    are    objections    to   mathematical    evidence 


352  Conversation  with  a 

more  puzzling  and  unanswerable  than  can  be 
alleged  against  moral  reasoning,  take  the  two  fol- 
lowing instances : 

"  It  is  mathematically  demonstrated  that  matter 
is  infinitely  divisible:  that  is,  has  an  ii finite  num- 
ber of  parts:  a  line,  then,  of  half  an  inch  long,  has 
an  infinite  number  of  parts.  Who  does  not  see 
the  absurdity  of  an  infinite  half-inch.  Try  the 
difficulty  another  way.  It  requires  some  portion  of 
time  to  pass  any  portion  of  space.  Then  as  your 
half-inch  has  an  infinite  number  of  parts,  it 
requires  an  infinite  number  of  portions  of  time  for 
a  moving  point  to  pass  by  the  infinite  number  of 
parts:  but  an  infinite  number  of  portions  of  time, 
is  an  eternity  !  Consequently  it  requires  an  eter- 
nity, or  something  like  it,  to  move  half  an  inchr 

"But,  sir,"  interposed  the  officer,  "you  do  not 
deny  the  accuracy  of  the  demonstration,  that  mat- 
ter is  infinitely  divisible!"  "Not  in  the  least,  sir; 
I  perceive  no  flaw  in  the  chain  of  demonstration, 
and  yet  I  perceive  the  result  to  be  infinitely  ab- 
surd. 

"  Again,  it  is  mathematically  demonstrated  that 
a  straight  line,  called  the  asymptote  of  the  hyper- 
bola, may  eternally  approach  the  curve  of  the 
hyperbola,  and  yet  can  never  meet  it.  Now,  as  all 
demonstrations  are  built  upon  axioms,  an  axiom 
must  always  be  plainer  than  a  demonstration:  and 
to  my  judgment  it  is  as  plain,  that,  if  two  fines 


Young   Traveler.  353 

continually  approach,  they  shall  meet,  as  that  the 
whole  is  greater  than  its  part.  Here,  therefore,  I 
am  fixed.  I  have  a  demonstration  directly  in  the 
teeth  of  an  axiom,  and  am  equally  incapable  of 
denying  either  side  of  the  contradiction." 

"  Sir,"  exclaimed  the  officer,  clapping  his  hands 
together,"!  own  I  am  beat,  completely  beat:  I 
have  nothiuo;  more  to  sav."  '  * 

A  silence  of  some  minutes  succeeded;  whieu  the 
young  military  traveler  said  to  his  theological  friend, 
"I  have  studied  all  rehgions,  and  have  not  been 
able  to  satisfy  myself" 

"  No,  sir,"  answered  he,  "  there  is  one  religion 
which  you  have  not  yet  studied." 

"  Pray,  sir,"  cried  the  officer,  roused  and  eager, 
"  what  is  that  f 

"  The  religion,"  replied  the  other,  *'  of  salvation 
through  the  redemption  of  the  Son  of  God:  the 
religion  which  will  sweeten  your  pleasures  and 
soften  your  sorrows ;  which  will  give  peace  to 
your  conscience  and  joy  to  your  heart ;  which  will 
bear  you  up  under  the  pressure  of  evils  here,  and 
shed  the  light  of  immortality  on  the  gloom  of  the 
grave.  This  religion,  I  believe,  sir,  you  have  yet 
to  study." 

The  officer  put  his  hands  upon  his  face ;  then 

languidly  clasping  them,  let  them  fall  down  ;  forced 

a  smile,  and  said,  with  a  sigh,  "  We  must  all  follow 

what  we  think  best."     His  behavior  afterward  was 
VOL.  IV.     23 


354      Conversatio?i  with  a  Young  Traveler. 

perfectly   decorous.       Nothing    further   is   known 
of  him. 

Note.  The  individual  by  whom  the  "  Conversation  with  a 
Young  Traveler "  was  held,  was  the  Rev.  Dr.  John  Mason,  the 
lather  of  the  author,  the  first  pastor  of  the  Scotch  Presbyterian 
Church,  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

A  considerable  time  after  it  occurred,  a  knock  was  heard  at  the 
door  of  Dr.  M.  at  a  very  early  hour,  and  a  note  addressed  to  him 
was  handed  in,  accompanied  by  a  handsome  Beaver  Hat.  The  note 
was  from  the  "  Young  Traveler,'^  and  its  ])urport  to  "  remind  Dr. 
M.  of  the  circumstances  under  which  he  had  once  met  with  him  ; 
to  inform  him  that,  in  consequence  of  what  he  had  then  heard,  he 
had  been  induced  to  study  the  religion  of  Jesus;  that  his  investiga- 
tion had  resulted  in  an  entire  conviction  of  the  divine  origin  of  that 
religion ;  and  that,  by  the  blessing  of  Gfod,  his  remarks  had  been,  as 
he  hoped,  made  instrumental  to  the  salvation  of  his  soul." 

He  further  added,  "that  he  had  recently  received  orders  to 
return  to  Europe  ;  had  arrived  in  the  city  late  on  the  preceding 
evening,  and  was  about  to  sail  that  morning  ;  that  he  should  not 
have  time  to  call  on  Dr.  M.,  but  begged  him  to  accept  the  assurance 
of  his  affectionate  regard;  that  in  all  human  probability  he  should 
never  see  him  on  earth,  but  he  indulged  what  he  ti'usted  was  a  well 
founded  hope,  that  they  should  spend  a  happy  eternity  together." 

"A    WORD    SPOKEN    IN    SEASON,    HOW    GOOD    IS    IT." 


THE 

ADDRESS 

^  OF    THE 

NEW  YORK   MISSIONARY   SOCIETY. 
1796. 


ADDRESS 

V 

OF    THE 

NEW  YORK   MISSIONARY   SOCIETY. 

1796.      . 

To  all  them  that  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in 
sincerity. 


Very  Dear  Brethren, — Events  have  recently 
occurred  which  deeply  interest  every  genuine 
Christian.  We  learn,  from  sources  the  most 
direct  and  authentic,  that  exertions  of  uncommon 
vigor  are  now  making  beyond  the  Atlantic,  for  ex- 
tending the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
A  spirit  of  jealousy  for  his  name,  not  less  decisive 
than  universal,  actuates  our  brethren  in  Britain. 
Its  influence  was  first  felt  by  the  faithful  around 
the  metropoHs;  and  the  impulse  hath  vibrated  to 
the  extremes  of  the  isle.  While  their  nation  is 
involved  in  the  destructive  war  which  convulses 
Europe,  they  are  devoted  to  the  advancement  of 


358  Address  of  the  New  York 

that  kingdom  which  is  righteousness  and  peace, 
and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost.  Large  societies, 
founded  on  evangeHcal  principles,  and  embracing 
various  denominations,  have  already  been  formed, 
and  are  rapidly  forming,  for  the  purpose  of  propa- 
gating the  gospel  among  the  unhappy  heathen. 
With  a  magnanimity  worthy  of  Christians,  they 
have  sacrificed  the  bigotries  of  party  on  the  altar 
of  Apostolic  zeal.  To  the  east,  to  the  south,  to 
the  west,  their  ardent  eye  directs  its  attention. 
Unwilling  to  restrict  their  efforts  to  their  own  im- 
mediate connections,  it  is  their  noble  design  to 
produce,  if  possible,  •"  a  general  movement  of  the 
church  upon  earth."  It  was  their  generous  piety 
which  gave  rise  to  the  New  York  Missionary 
Society.  It  is  to  solicit  j^our  co-operation  in  the 
same  glorious  work,  that  the  Society  now  ad- 
dresses you ;  and  surely,  brethren,  there  are  con- 
siderations which  should  prompt  us  to  follow, 
without  delay,  their  great  example.  That  in  Mes- 
siah "  all  the  families  in  the  earth  shall  be  bless- 
ed," is  yet  the  subject  of  promise.  True  it  is,  that 
the  effects  which  resulted  from  his  "  appearing  to 
put  away  sin  by  flie  sacrifice  of  himself,"  were  a 
pledge  of  its  final  and  illustrious  accomplishment. 
When  he  ascended  up  on  high,  the  wall  of  par- 
tition between  the  Gentile  and  the  Jew  was 
broken  down  ;  the  river  of  life  poured  its  streams 
among  the  nations ;  they  watered  the  lat  of  our 


Missionary  Society.  359 

pagan  progenitors ;  they  have  descended  unto  us, 
their  children;  and  we,  at  this  hour,  verify  the  gra- 
cious predictions,  ''it  shall  come  to  pass  that  in 
the  place  ivhere  it  was  said  unto  them,  Ye  are  not 
my  people,  there  it  shall  he  said  unto  them,  Ye  are 
the  sons  of  the  Hving  God."     But  akhough  splen- 
did accessions  have  been  made  to  the  Church  of 
Christ,  there  is  room  for  accessions  yet  more  splen- 
did.     Though   ive   enjoy  the  clearest  light  of  his 
gospel,  there  are  millions  of  our  race  on  whom  it 
never  shone.    There  are  hundreds  of  millions  who 
never  tasted  his  salvation,  nor  heard  of  his  name. 
Of  these  vast  numbers  are  in  our  own  land.    They 
are  without  God,  and  without  hope ;  destitute  of 
the  means  of  grace,  and  even  insensible  to  their 
misery.     Age  after  age  hath  elapsed,  and  they  still 
sit  in  the  region  and  shadow  of  death.     Besides 
these,  there  are,  on  our  frontiers,  multitudes  whose 
situation,  notwithstanding  occasional  aid,  entitles 
them  to  our  deepest  commiseration.     Without  the 
stated  preaching  of  the  Word— without  the  ordi- 
nances of  the  Gospel — without  sanctified  Sabbaths 
or    religious    instruction— many  of  them,    thouo-h 
called  Christians,  are  heathen  in  reality.     If  their 
helpless  state  should  excite  our  sympathy,  the  duty 
of  attempting  their  relief  is  too  plain  to  be  evaded, 
and  is  recommended  by  motives  the  most  tender 
and  forceful.     The  souls  of  these  poor  pagans,  and 
of  others  in  circumstances  not  less  afflicting,  are 


360  Address  of  the  New  York 

as  valuable  as  our  own  ;  they  are  as  capable  as 
ourselves  of  glorifying  God,  and  of  being  glorified 
with  him.  They  will  be  as  bright  ornaments,  if 
saved,  in  the  crown  of  Jesus;  and,  if  lost,  as  cer- 
tain heirs  of  the  wrath  to  come. 

In  their  forlorn  condition,  we  see  an  affecting 
picture  of  what  we  ourselves  once  were.  We,  too, 
have  sprung  from  an  infidel  stock.  We,  too,  were 
"  aliens  from  the  coramonimalth  of  Israel,  and 
strangers  from  the  covenants  of  inomise ;"  and 
such  we  would  have  been  at  this  day,  had  not 
some  disciples,  to  whom  we  are  everlasting  debtors 
— men  'full  of  faith  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost" — put 
their  lives  in  their  hands,  and  preached  to  our 
fathers  the  gospel  of  salvation.  They  felt  the 
authority  of  the  command  which  enjoins  the  church 
to  evangehze  the  nations ;  and  that  command,  in 
all  its  solemnity,  is  binding  upon  us.  Freely  we 
have  received,  freely  we  must  give.  The  least 
acknowledgment  which  the  loving  kindness  of 
God  our  Saviour  can  require  at  our  hands,  is,  "  to 
take  the  cu])  of  salvation,"  to  drink  deeply  for  our- 
selves, and  communicate  of  it  to  others.  And  yet, 
what  have  we  done  towards  rescuing  the  heathen 
from  their  ignorance,  and  from  their  delusions  ? 
We  have  prayed,  indeed ;  we  are  in  the  habit  of 
praying  that  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  Jesus  may 
come.  But  what  means  have  we  used  for  attain- 
ing the  blessing  ?     Where  are  the  monuments  of 


Missionary  Society.  361 

our  zeal,  of  our  boldness,  of  our  fortitude,  of  our 
patience  ?  The  zeal  of  others  who  have  preceded 
us,  is  a  striking  reproof  to  our  lukewarmness. 
The  labors  of  the  Majhews  in  the  eastern  States, 
in  the  last  century — of  the  apostolic  Elliot — of  the 
indefatigable  Brainerd,  and  the  exertions  of  the 
Morav^n  Christians,  and  the  success  which  they 
have  obtained,  at  once  speak  shame  to  our  apathy 
and  encouragement  to  our  emulation.  Verily  we 
are  guilty  in  this  respect.  We  have  not  reahzed 
the  deplorable  state  of  millions  of  our  species.  We 
have  been  contented  with  wishes  when  we  were 
called  to  action.  We  have  folded  our  arms  in 
sloth,  or  have  wasted  ourselves  in  contests  of 
inferior  moment,  when  we  should  have  consoli- 
dated our  strength  in  the  cause  of  the  common 
salvation.  Surely  our  friend,  our  brother,  who 
dehvered  us  from  going  down  to  th^  pit,  "  who  his 
ovm  self  hore  our  sins  in  his  own  body  on  the  tree" 
merited  a  more  grateful  recompense.  May  not  our 
backwardness  in  pubhshing  abroad  his  praises  be 
a  cause  of  his  controversy  with  us  ?  May  it  not 
be,  at  least  in  part,  to  correct  this  iniquity,  that  vital 
godliness  decays  among  ourselves,  and  the  influ- 
ences of  his  good  Spirit  are  withheld  from  our 
devotional  assemblies  !  Ah !  the  necessities  of  the 
heathen  have  long  implored  our  aid,  but  implored 
in  vain  :  and  if  they  be  still  disregarded,  the  cry  of 
their  blood,  succeeding  to  the  cry  of  their  wretch- 


362  Address  of  the  New  York 

edness,  may  bring  upon  us  a  calamity  which  shall 
make  the  ears  of  every  one  that  heareth  it  to  tingle. 
Who  knoweth  but  the  Lord,  to  punish  our  insen- 
sibility, may,  by  a  special  providence,  transfer  our 
privileges  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  forest ;  may 
write  upon  our  temple-doors,  "  The  glory  is  de- 
parted T  and  while  he  causes  "the  desert  to  rejoice 
and  blossom  as  the  rose,"  may  abandon  us  to  the 
desolating  flood,  and  convert  our  goodly  heritage 
into  a  barren  waste. 

Besides  those  considerations  which  address  our 
sense  of  gratitude  and  of  interest,  there  is  another 
no  less  powerful,  which  arises  from  the  peculiar 
circumstances  of  the  times.  Infidehty  abounds. 
It  hath  assumed  an  imperious  air,  and  glories  in 
the  expectation  of  a  speedy  extermination  of  the 
religion  of  Jesus.  To  confound  its  vain  hopes, 
we  are  called  upon  to  show,  by  our  activity  in  the 
cause  of  truth,  that  the  spirit  of  Christ  continues 
to  animate  his  body;  that  there  is  still  life  and 
energy  in  his  church,  and  that  the  prospect  is  as 
distant  as  ever,  of  "  the  gates  of  hell  iwevailing 
against  her!'  If  then,  dear  brethren,  the  souls  of 
men  are  precious  in  our  eyes — if  the  honor  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  is  an  object  of  our  desire,  or  his  com- 
mandment of  our  reverence — if  gratitude  for  his 
wondrous  love  hath  not  fled  from  our  hearts — if 
the  consciousness  of  former  neglect  excites  one 
emotion  of  shame,  let  us  rouse  from  our  lethargy, 


,  Missionary  Society.  363 

let  us  strive  to  redeem  by  future  diligence,  our  lost 
opportunities.  While  other  parts  of  the  church 
are  earnest  and  active,  let  us  not  be  like  a  palsied 
limb  in  a  living  body.  In  order  to  second  the 
efforts  abroad,  by  strenuous  efforts  at  home,  let  us 
with  cordial  affection  and  mutual  confidence,  unite 
our  supplications,  our  counsels,  our  resources. 
Should  we  even  fail  in  our  immediate  expecta- 
tions, we  may  aid  those  who  shall  have  better 
success.  And  if  sinners  be  brought  to  the  Saviour 
our  object  is  gained.  In  the  temples  above  it  will 
make  no  difference,  whether  they  were  gathered 
from  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  the  Gambia,  or 
the  Ganges,  But  to  effect  any  part  of  so  vast  a 
design,  good  wishes  are  not  sufficient.  The  wisest 
and  most  benevolent  plan  must  be  defeated,  with- 
out encouragement  of  a  different  kind;  we  ask, 
therefore,  brethren,  a  portion  of  your  worldly  sub- 
stance ;  we  ask  it  in  the  name  of  Him  whose  you 
are,  and  whom  you  serve,  "  Ye  know  the  grace  of 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  though  he  was  rich, 
yet  for  your  sokes  he  became  iioor,  that  ye  through 
his  poverty  might  be  ricJi."  You  have  nothing 
but  what  you  receive  from  his  bounty.  He  poured 
out  his  soul  for  you;  and  is  it  a  great  matter,  if, 
with  a  pittance  of  your  carnal  things,  you  minister 
to  the  interests  of  his  kingdom?  Let  wealthy 
Christians  remember,  that  "  the  liberal  deviseth 
liberal  things,  and  by  Uberal  things  shall  he  stand." 


364  Address  of  the  Neio  York 

Let  the  widow  throw  in  her  mite,  be  it  ever  so 
small.  Her  offering  of  love  will  neither  be  rejected 
of  God,  nor  useless  to  man.  As  drops  from  hea- 
•ven  create  the  mighty  torrent,  so  the  feeblest 
powers,  in  combination,  produce  an  astonishing 
result,  and  accomplish  with  ease,  what  theory 
would  have  pronounced  incredible,  if  not  impossi- 
ble. Such,  brethren,  are  our  intentions,  and  such 
our  requests.  Shall  we,  in  proposing  them,  incur 
the  danger  of  repulse  ?  Musi  we  be  disheartened 
by  reluctance,  or  mortified  by  objection  ?  Will 
any  one  slight  our  undertaking  as  romantic  and 
chimerical?  Will  he  paint  to  us  the  perils  of  the 
wilderness,  the  savageness  of  the  heathen,  their 
roving  disposition,  their  diversified  speech,  their 
customs  in  everything  abhorrent  from  civilized 
life  ?  Will  he  dwell  on  the  improbability  of  ob- 
taining suitable  missionaries?  On  the  dispropor- 
tion of  our  means  to  the  end  we  have  in  view  ? 
Will  he  recall  the  successless  issue  of  some  former 
attempts,  and  thence  predict  the  disappointment  of 
our  hopes  ?     To  all  such  objections  we  reply  :  '-In 

THE  NAME  OF  OUR  GoD  WE  LIFT  UP  OUR  BAN- 
NERS." We  have  not  amused  ourselves  with  the 
dream  of  progress  without  obstacles,  and  victory 
without  resistance.  But  we  know  also,  that  in 
difficult  services,  the  grace  of  Jesus,  and  the  power 
of  faith  are  most  conspicuous.  When  the  honors 
of  the  cross,  and  the  eternal  welfare  of  men  are  at 


Missionary  Society.  365 

the  stake,  we  must  not  "  confer  with  flesh  and 
blood."  It  is  criminal  timidity  which  whispers 
''^  there  is  a  lion  in  the  way,  I  shall  he  slain  in  the 
streets"  We  cannot  encounter  more  heart-break- 
ing opposition,  than  was  encountered  in  a  similar 
enterprise  by  the  apostles  of  the  Lamb,  and  by  the 
blessed  Reformers.  Those  apostles  and  reformers 
who  always  triumphed  in  Christ,  triumphed  when 
Persecution  waved  over  their  heads  her  scourge 
of  blood,,  and  kindled  around  them  the  fires  of 
martyrdom.  With  less  to  dismay,  we  have  as  much 
to  encourage.  If  in  the  might  of  Him  who  hath 
^^  all  power  in  heaven  and  earth,  they  ivere  more  than 
conquerors  f'  in  His  might  ice  can  conquer  too. 
Nay,  there  is  nothing  more  formidable  in  the 
experiment  which  we  contemplate,  than  in  a 
believer's  daily  warfare,  "  with  principalities  and 
powe?'s,  and  spiritual  ivickednessesT  "  God  reigneth 
over  the  heathen,  God  is  king  ot  all  the  earth." 
The  silver  is  His ;  tJie  gold  is  His.  His  grace  can 
fix  the  wandering  and  humanize  the  cruel;  can 
quicken  the  sluggish,  render  the  sordid  generous, 
and  embolden  the  fearful;  can  bestow  an  apos- 
tolic spirit  for  apostolic  work ;  can  'make  "  worm 
Jacob  thresh  the  mountains."  Let  our  hearts, 
then,  swell  with  resolution,  and  beat  high  with 
hope.  "  Glorious  things  are  spoken  of  the  city  of 
God.  For  thus  saith  the  Lord,  I  will  extend  peace 
to  her  like  a  river,  and  the  glory  of  the  Gentiles 


366  Address  of  the  New  York 

like  a  Jlowing  stream.  I  will  lift  up  mine  hand 
to  the  Gentiles,  and  set  my  standard  to  the  people; 
and  they  shall  bring  thy  sons  on  their  arms,  and 
thy  daughters  shall  he  carried  on  their  shoulders. 
Faithful  is  he  who  hath  prondsed,  who  also  will 
do  ity  And  distinguished  will  be  our  honor, 
brethren,  if  he  vouchsafe  to  employ  us  as  instru- 
ments of  his  word.  Should  he  even,  in  his  search- 
less  wisdom,  not  permit  our  attempt  to  have  the 
desired  effect,  the  attempt  itself  shall  turn  to  us 
for  a  testimony,  and  shall  come  up  in  a  memorial 
before  his  throne ;  when  the  pageantries  of  the 
world  pass  into  oblivion. 

Finally,  brethren,  we  intreat  that  our  institution 
may  not  be  misunderstood.  Let  not  suspicion  view 
it  as  a  political  combination.  The  kingdom  of 
Christ,  that  kingdom  which  we  have  united  to 
promote,  is  not  of  this  world.  We  most  solemnly 
disclaim  all  intention  of  associating  for  any  political 
or  party  purposes  whatever.  Neither  let  it  be  in- 
terpreted as  a  conspiracy  against  the  outward 
distinctions  that  prevail  among  us.  With  equal 
solemnity  we  disclaim  all  intention  of  interfering, 
directly  or  indirectly,  with  the  internal  arrange- 
ments or  other  pecuharities  of  any  Christian  deno- 
mination. The  only  end  of  our  Association  is  that 
which,  in  singleness  of  heart,  we  have  publicly 
avowed — the  promulgation  of  the  Gospel  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.      To  this,  all  who  love  him  will 


Missionary  Society.  367 

say,  notwithstanding  tlieii*  smaller  difference?,  God 
speed  !  Under  so  pleasing  an  impression,  brethren, 
we  commit  ourselves  and  our  undertaking  to  God 
and  to  you.  Without  the  arrogance  of  dictating, 
we  beg  leave  to  recommend  the  immediate  forma- 
tion of  similar  societies  throughout  the  continent. 
Your  own  acquaintance  with  your  local  situation 
qualifies  you  to  judge  how  large  a  district  each 
ought  to  include.  Let  agreement  in  the  great  doc- 
trines of  grace  be  the  basis  of  association.  While 
this  will  be  a  principle  of  energy,  in  each  society,  it 
will  be  a  strong  tie  of  connection  to  the  whole  ;  and 
will. enable  them  to  concert  and  toconduct  a  plan 
of  harmonious  and  efficient  co-operation.  The 
hearty  concurrence  of  Christians  of  different  deno- 
minations in  a  scheme  so  interesting  to  them  all, 
will  be  a  token  for  good,  that  the  Lord  is  about  to 
build  up  Zion,  and  to  appear  in  his  glory.  Amen. 
Even  so,  come  Lord  Jesus. 


APPENDIX. 


REPORT 


DIRECTORS   OF   THE   MISSIONARY   SOCIETY. 

After  the  organization  of  the  Society,  the  first  care  of  the 
Directors  was  to  aim  at  laying  a  broad  and  solid  basis  of  future  ope- 
rations. The  frontier  of  the  States,  and  the  Indian  country,  exhib- 
iting an  extensive  field  of  missionary  eflbits,  required  great  attention, 
while  they  presented  considerable  difficulty.  That  a  plan  of  missions 
might  be  devised  with  judgment,  and  executed  with  success,  it  was 
necessary  to  obtain  correct  information  of  both.  A  committee  of 
inquiry  was  accordingly  appointed  for  each  of  these  purposes,  and 
directed  to  prepare  their  reports  as  speedily  as  the  nature  of  their 
business  would  admit.  No  printed  documents  supplying  them  with 
sufficient  materials,  they  were  obliged  to  have  recourse  to  individuals 
ficattered  throughout  the  country,  and  many  of  them  difficult  of 
access.  From  these  and  other  impediments,  the  committees  have 
not  yet  been  able  to  accomplish  their  object. 

A  correspondence  has  also  been  opened  with  the  leading  Mission- 
ary Societies  in  Britain ;  but  no  communications  from  them  have 
hitherto  been  received. 

An  institution  so  novel  in  this  country,  and  so  much  beyond  the 
ordinary  habits  of  religious  enterprise  as  the  present  Missionary 
Society,  could  hardly  expect  to  enjoy  immediate  and  univeKsal  sup- 
port. Yet  it  is  not  without  peculiar  satisfaction,  that  the  Directors 
find  that,  in  proportion  as  it  is  undeistood,  it  I'ecommends  itself  to 
the  approbation  and  adection  of  Christians  of  different  denomina- 
tions. Respectable  additions  have  been  made  to  the  number  of 
members ;  and  both  congregations  and  individuals  have  evinced 
their  anxiety  for  its  prosperity,  by  liberal  and  unsolicited  donations 


Aj^pendix.  369 

to  its  treasury.  The  funds  amount,  at  present,  exclusive  of  all 
charges,  to  nearly  one  thousand  dollars  ;  which,  though  a  small  sum 
for  any  weighty  undertaking,  deserves  to  be  viewed  as  an  encour- 
aging commencement. 

The  Directors  have  thought  themselves  warranted,  even  by  exist- 
ing circumstances  and  prospects,  to  appoint  a  committee  to  prepare, 
at  their  leisure,  a  set  of  instructions  for  missionaries,  and  to  look 
out  for  persons  proper  to  be  employed  in  the  service  of  the  Society. 
They  are  not  without  pleasing  hopes,  that  the  Head  of  the  Church 
will  raise  up,  from  time  to  time,  candidates  endowed  with  a  mission- 
ary spirit,  who  will  glow  with  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  the  heathen, 
and  count  it  a  distinguished  honor  to  carry  among  them  the  sweet 
savor  of  his  name. 

Inquiry  has  already  been  addressed  to  them,  to  ascertain  whether 
it  comes  within  the  design  of  the  Society  to  educate  pious  and 
premising  youth  expressly  for  missionary  labors.  No  office  would 
be  more  gratifying  to  tliem,  as  they  are  persuaded  that  nothing  can 
be  more  congenial  to  the  end  of  the  Society,  nor  to  the  wishes  of 
its  members. 

'  The  Directors  feel  a  peculiar  satisfaction  in  observing,  that  the 
missionaiy  principle  is  not  confined  to  their  own  association.  It 
hath  penetrated  to  the  distant  parts  of  the  State,  and  produced, 
some  months  since,  another  Society,  founded  on  the  same  doctrines, 
devoted  to  the  same  objects,  and  desirous  of  co-operating  in  the 
same  plan,  by  the  style  of  "  The  Northern  Missionary  Society  in 
the  State  of  New  York."  Articles  of  union,  between  that  institu- 
tion and  the  New  York  Missionary  Society,  have  been  proposed, 
and  acceded  to  by  the  Directors,  and  will  be  laid  before  the  Society 
for  final  ratification.  They  cannot  but  indulge  the  consoling  thought, 
that  the  Spirit  of  the  Highest  hath  begun  the  good  work,  and  that 
he  will  carry  it  on  till  his  people  throughout  these  States  shall  com- 
bine tlieir  counsels,  and  consolidate  their  strength,  in  one  grand  and 
triumphant  exertion  to  introduce  his  gospel  into  the  "  dark  places  of 
the  earth,  which  are  yet  full  of  the  habitations  of  cruelty." 

It  is  to  them  a  spring  of  no  common  elevation  to  learn,  tliat  the 
zeal  for  missions  in  the  island  of  Great  Britain,  which  first  suggested 
the  idea  of  Missionary  Societies  here,  is  so  far  from  declining,  that 
it  gathers  vigor  with  its  age.     Obloquy  only  serves  to  cement  its 

VOL.  IV.     24 


370  A2>pendlx. 

friends,  and  opposition  to  call  foith  its  energies.  And  the  probabi- 
lity, in  which  every  gracious  heart  must  rejoice,  is,  that  at  thia 
moment  Christ  crucified  is  preached  among  the  Pagans  in  the 
islands  of  the  Pacific  Ocean.  Besides  which,  an  evangelical  mission 
is  pi'ojcctcd,  and  before  now,  perliaps,  executed,  into  the  interior  of 
Africa.  The  Lord  bless  them,  and  keep  them!  Grant  Christians 
here  to  emulate,  and  even  surpass  their  apostolic  example  ;  and 
crown  every  embassy  to  the  Gentiles  with  greater  and  greater 
success,  till  the  whole  eaith  be  filled  with  his  glory ! 

John  M.  Mason,  Secretary. 
Nkw  York,  Nov.  G,  1797. 

In  their  |)roceeding3  on  the  above  report,  the  Society  resolved, 
That  the  education  of  proper  persons  to  be  sent  out  as  Missionai'ies 
comes  within  their  design:  and  it  will,  no  doubt,  receive  their  par- 
ticular attention  as  soon  as  their  funds  will  permit. 

The  Society  also  agreed  upon  articles  of  union,  and  principles  of 
co-operation,  with  the  Northern  Missionaiy  Society  in  the  State 
of  New  York,  to  take  effect  whenever  they  shall  be  ratified  by 
said  Society. 

The  objects  contemi)lated  by  the  Society  involving  heavy  expenses, 
and  requiring  the  united  exertions  of  its  friends,  it  was  judged 
necessary  to  solicit,  from  all  the  congregations  throughout  the 
country,  with  which  it  has  any  connect'on,  annual  collections  for  its 
funds.  Little  can  be  done  in  pecuniary  efforts,  unless  those  who 
long  for  the  prosperity  of  Zion  shall  give  their  cheerful  and  i)er- 
Bevering  aid  ;  and  from  sucli  aid,  with  the  blessing  of  Zion's  King, 
the  luii)i)iest  success  may  be  rationally  anticipated. 

The  Society  having  agreed  that  two  sermons  shall  be  preached 
at  their  next  annual  meeting,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Livingston,  and  the 
Rev.  Dr.  M'Kmght,  were  appointed  to  preach  them:  the  former 
in  the  Scots  Presbj-tcM-ian  Church,  on  the  evening  of  the  first  day 
of  their  meeting;  and  the  latter  in  the  North  Dutch  Church,  on  the 
evening  f()llo\ving. 

The  Society  having  transacted  iheir  business,  with  the  harmony 
and  affection  of  Christ.an  brethren,  and  filled  with  pleasing  hope 
that  tlieir  labors  shall  not  bo  in  vain  in  tho  Lord,  adjourned  till  the 
first  Tuesday  of  November,  1798. 


ADDRESS 

OF   THE 

CONVENTION  OF  DELEGATES, 

BY    WHOM    WAS    FORMED 

THE  AMERICAN  BIBLE  SOCIETY, 

TO    THE 

PEOPLE  OF  THE   UNITED  STATES. 


ADDRESS 


TO  THE  PEOPLE.  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Every  person  of  observation  has  remarked  that 
the  times  are  pregnant  with  great  events.  The 
pohtifial  vi^orld  has  undergone  changes  stupendous, 
unexpected,  and  calculated  to  inspire  thoughtful 
men  with  the  most  boding  anticipations. 

That  there  are  in  reserve,  occurrences  of  deep, 
of  lasting,  and  of  general  interest,  appears  to  be 
the  common  sentiment.  Such  a  sentiment  has  not 
been  excited  without  a  cause,  and  does  not  exist 
without  an  object.  The  cause  is  to  be  sought  in 
that  Providence  which  adapts,  with  wonderful 
exactitude,  means  to  ends :  and  the  object  is  too 
plain  to  be  mistaken  by  those  who  carry  a  sense 
of  rehgion  into  their  speculations  upon  the  present 
and  the  future  condition  of  our  afflicted  race. 

An  excitement,  as  extraordinary  as  it  is  power- 
ful, has  roused  the  nations  to  the  importance  of 
spreading  the  knowledge  of  the  one  living  and 
true  God,  as  revealed  in  his  Son,  the  Mediator 


374  Address  relatins.   to 


& 


between  God  and  men,  Christ  Jesus.  This 
excitement  is  the  more  worthy  of  notice,  as  it 
has  followed  a  period  of  philosophy,  falsely  so 
called,  and  has  gone  in  the  track  of  those  very 
schemes  which,  under  the  imposing  names  of 
reason  and  liberality,  were  attempting  to  seduce 
mankind  from  all  which  can  bless  the  life  that 
is,  or  shed  a  cheering  radiance  on  the  life  that  is 
to  come. 

We  hail  the  reaction,  as  auspicious  to  whatever 
is  exquisite  in  human  enjoyment,  or  precious  to 
human  hope.  We  would  fly  to  the  aid  of  all  that 
is  holy,  against  all  that  is  profane;  of  the  purest 
interest  of  the  community,  the  family,  and  the  indi- 
vidual, against  the  conspiracy  of  darkness,  disaster, 
and  death — to  help  on  the  mighty  work  of  Chris- 
tian charity — to  claim  our  place  in  the  age  of 
Bibles. 

We  have,  indeed  the  secondary  praise,  but  still 
the  praise,  of  treading  in  the  footsteps  of  those  who 
have  set  an  example  without  a  parallel — an  exam- 
ple of  the  most  unbounded  benevolence  and  bene- 
ficence :  and  it  cannot  be  to  us  a  source  of  any 
pain,  that  it  has  been  set  by  those  who  are  of  one 
blood  with  the  most  of  ourselves;  and  has  been 
embodied  in  a  form  so  noble  and  so  Catholic,  as 
"  The  Brithh  and  Foreign  Bible  Society." 

The  impulse  which  that  institution,  ten  thou- 
sand times  more  glorious  than  all  the  exploits  of 


the  American  Bible  Society.  375 

the  sword,  has  given  to  the  co'iscience  of  Europe, 
and  to  the  slumbering  hope  of  millions  in  the 
region  and  shadow  of  death,  demonstrates  to 
Christians  of  every  country  what  they  cannot  do 
by  insulated  zeal ;  and  what  they  can  do  by  co- 
operation. 

In  the  United  States  we  want  nothing  but  con- 
cert to  perform  achievements  astonishing  to  our- 
selves, dismaying  to  the  adversaries  of  truth  and 
piety,  and  most  encouraging  to  every  evangelical 
effort,  on  the  surface  of  the  globe. 

No  spectacle  can  be  so  illustrious  in  itself,  so 
touching  to  man,  or  so  grateful  to  God,  as  a  nation 
pouring  forth  its  devotion,  its  talent,  and  its  trea- 
sures, for  that  kingdom  of  the  Saviour  which  is 
righteousness  and  peace. 

If  there  be  a  single  measure  which  can  overrule 
objection,  subdue  opposition,  and  command  exer- 
tion, this  is  the  measure.  That  all  our  voices,  all 
our  affections,  all  our  hands,  should  be  joined  in 
the  grand  design  of  promoting  "  peace  on  earth 
and  good-will  toward  man"— that  they  should 
resist  the  advance  of  misery — should  carry  the 
light  of  instruction  into  the  dominions  of  igno- 
rance;  and  the  balm  of  joy  to  the  soul  of  anguish; 

and    all  this   by    diffusing  the    oracles    of  God 

addresses  to  the  understanding  an  argument  which 
cannot  be  encountered  ;  and  to  the  heart  an  appeal 
which  its  hohest  emotions  rise  up  to  second. 


376  Address  relating  to 

Under  such  impressions  and  with  such  views, 
fathers,  brethren,  fellow-citizens,  i\\e  American  Bible 
Society  has  been  formed.  Local  feelings,  party 
prejudices,  sectarian  jealousies,  are  excluded  by  its 
very  nature.  Its  members  are  leagued  in  that,  and 
in  that  alone,  which  calls  up  every  hallowed,  and 
•puts  down  every  unhallowed,  principle — the  disse- 
mination of  the  Scriptures  in  the  received  versions 
where  they  exist,  and  in  the  most  faithful  where 
they  may  be  required.  In  such  a  work,  whatever 
is  dignified,  kind,  venerable,  true,  has  ample  scope ; 
while  sectarian  littleness  and  rivalries  can  find  no 
avenue  of  admission. 

The  only  question  is,  whether  an  object  of  such 
undisputed  magnitude  can  be  best  attained  by  a 
national  society,  or  by  independent  associations  in' 
friendly  understanding  and  correspondence. 

Without  entering  into  the  details  of  this  inquiry, 
we  may  be  permitted  to  state,  in  a  fevv^  words,  our 
reasons  of  preference  to  a  national  society  sup- 
ported by  local  societies  and  by  individuals  through- 
out our  country. 

Concentrated  action  is  powerful  action.  The 
same  powers,  when  apphed  by  a  common  direc- 
tion, will  produce  results  impossible  to  their 
divided  and  partial  exercise.  A  national  object 
unites  national  feeling  and  concurrence.  Unity  of 
a  great  system  combines  energy  of  effect  with 
economy    of    means.      Accumulated    intelligence 


* 


the  American  Bible  Society.  2>11 

interests  and  animates  the  public  mind.  And  the 
Catholic  efforts  of  a  country  thus  harmonized, 
give  her  a  place  in  the  moral  convention  of  the 
vt^orkl :  and  enable  her  to  act,  directly  upon  the 
universal  plans  of  happiness  which  are  now  per- 
vading the  nations. 

It  is  true,  that  the  prodigious  territory  of  the 
United  States — the  increase  of  their  poi^ulation, 
which  is  gaining  every  day  upon  their  moral  culti- 
vation— and  the  dreadful  consequences  which  will 
ensue  from  a  people's  outgrowing  the  knowledge 
of  eternal  life ;  and  reverting  to  a  species  of 
heathenism  which  shall  have  all  the  address  and 
profligacy  of  civilized  society,  without  any  religious 
control,  present  a  sphere  of  action,  which  may  for 
a  long  time  employ  and  engross  the  cares  of  this 
society,  and  of  all  the  local  Bible  societies  of  the 
land. 

In  the  distinct  anticipation  of  such  an  urgency, 
one  of  the  main  objects  of  the  American  Bible 
Society  is,  not  merely  to  provide  a  sufficiency  of 
well-printed  and  accurate  edhions  of  the  scriptures, 
but  also  to  furnish  great  districts  of  the  American 
continent  with  well-executed  stereotype  plates,  for 
their  cheap  and  extensive  diffusion  throughout 
regions  which  are  now  scantily  supplied,  at  a  dis- 
couraging expense;  and  which,  nevertheless,  open 
a  wide  and  prepared  field  for  the  reception  of  re- 
vealed truth. 


378  Address  7'elating  to 

Yet,  let  it  not  be  supposed  that  geographical  or 
pohtical  Hmits  are  to  be  the  hmits  of  the  American 
Bible  Society.  That  designation  is  meant  to  indi- 
cate, not  the  restriction  of  their  labor,  but  the  source 
of  its  emanation.  Thej  will  embrace,  with  thank- 
fulness and  pleasure,  every  opportunity  of  raying 
out,  by  means  of  the  Bible,  according  to  their  ability, 
the  light  of  life  and  immortality,  to  such  parts  of 
the  world  as  are  destitute  of  the  blessing,  and  are 
within  their  reach.  In  this  high  vocation,  their 
ambition  is  to  be  fellow-workers  with  them  who 
are  fellow-workers  with  God. 

People  of  the  United  States  : 

Have  you  ever  been  invited  to  an  enterprise 
of  such  grandeur  and  glory  I  Do  you  not  value 
the  Holy  Scriptures  ?  Value  them  as  containing 
your  sweetest  hope  ;  your  most  thrilling  joy  ?  Can 
you  submit  to  the  thought  that  i/ou  should  be  torpid 
in  your  endeavors  to  disperse  them,  while  the  rest 
of  Christendom  is  awake  and  alert?  Shall  t/ou 
hang  back,  in  heartless  indifference,  when  princes 
come  down  from  their  thrones,  to  bless  the  cottage 
of  the  poor  with  the  gospel  of  peace  ;  and  imperial 
sovereigns  are  gathering  their  fairest  honors  from 
spreading  abroad  the  oracles  of  the  Lord  your  God? 
Is  it  possible  that  you  should  not  see,  in  this  state 
of  human  things,  a  mighty  motion  of  Divine  provi- 
dence ?  The  most  heavenly  charity  treads  close 
upon  the  march  of  conflict  and  blood  !    The  world 


the  American  Bible  Society.  379 

is  at  peace  !  Scarce  has  the  soldier  time  to  unbind 
his  helmet,  and  to  wipe  away  the  sweat  from  his 
brow,  ere  the  voice  of  mercy  succeeds  to  the  clarion 
of  battle,  and  calls  the  nations  from  enmity  to  love  ! 
Crowned  heads  bow  to  the  head  which  is  to  wear 
"  many  crowns ;"  and  for  the  first  time  since  the 
promulgation  of  Christianity,  appear  to  act  in  unison 
for  the  recognition  of  its  gracious  principles,  as  be- 
ing fraught  ahke  \\i\h  happiness  to  man  and  honor 
to  God. 

What  has  created  so  strange,  so  beneficent  an 
alteration  X  This  is  no  doubt  the  doing  of  the 
Lord,  and  it  is  marvelous  in  our  eyes.  But  what 
instrument  has  he  thought  fit  chiefly  to  use  ? 
That  which  contributes,  in  all  latitudes  and  climes, 
to  make  Christians  feel  their  unitv,  to  rebuke  the 
spirit  of  strife,  and  to  open  upon  them  the  day  of 
brotherly  concord — the  Bible!  the  Bible! — through 
Bible  societies  ? 

Come,  then,  fellow-citizens,  fellow- Christians, 
let  us  join  in  the  sacred  covenant.  Let  no  heart 
be  cold ;  no  hand  be  idle ;  no  pulse  reluctant ! 
Come,  while  room  is  left  for  us  in  the  ranks  whose 
toil  is  goodness,  and  whose  recompense  is  victory. 
Come  cheerfully,  eagerly,  generally.  Be  it  im- 
pressed on  your  souls,  that  a  contribution,  saved 
from  even  a  cheap  indulgence,  may  send  a  Bible 
to  a  desolate  family;  may  become  a  radiating  point 
of  "  grace  and  truth "  to  a  neighborhood  of  error 


380  Address,  S^c. 

and  vice ;  and  that  a  number  of  such  contributions 
made  at  really  no  expense,  may  illumine  a  large 
tract  of  country,  and  successive  generations  of  im- 
mortals, in  that  celestial  knowledge  which  shall 
secure  their  present  and  their  future  fehcity. 

But  whatever  be  the  proportion  between  expec- 
tation and  experience,  thus  much  is  certain :  we 
shall  satisfy  our  conviction  of  duty — we  shall  have 
the  praise  of  high  endeavors  for  the  highest  ends 
— we  shall  minister  to  the  blessedness  of  thousands 
and  tens  of  thousands,  of  whom  we  may  never  see 
the  faces,  nor  hear  the  names.  We  shall  set  for- 
ward a  system  of  happiness  which  will  go  on  with 
accelerated  motion  and  augmented  vigor,  after  we 
shall  have  finished  our  career ;  and  confer  upon 
our  children,  and  our  children's  children,  the  delight 
of  seeing  the  wilderness  turned  into  a  fruitful  field, 
by  the  blessing  of  God  upon  that  seed  which  their 
fathers  sowed,  and  themselves  watered.  In  fine, 
we  shall  do  our  part  toward  that  expansion  and 
intensity  of  light  divine,  which  shall  visit,  in  its 
progress,  the  palaces  of  the  great  and  the  hamlets 
of  the  small,  until  the  whole  "  earth  be  full  of  the 
knowledge  of  Jehovah,  as  the  waters  cover  the 
sea! 


ACT 


FOR  ESTABLISHING  THE 


THEOLOGICAL     SEMINARY 

AT 

NEW     YORK. 
1805. 


^ 


^  •# 


AN    ACT 


ESTABLISHING   A  THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY, 

Passed  at  Philadelphia,  June  4, 1805,  hy  the  General 
Synod  of  the  Associate  Reformed  Church  in 
North  America. 


Whereas  the  ministry  of  reconciliation  is  the 
great  means  instituted  by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
for  perfecting  his  saints,  and  edifying  his  body ; 
and  Whereas,  he  has  required  in  his  Word  that 
they  who  are  called  to  this  excellent  and  important 
work,  be  furnished  with  gifts  and  graces  above 
those  of  other  believers ;  especially  that  they  be 
faithful  men  ;  apt  to  teach,  workmen  who  need  not 
be  ashamed,  rightly  dividing  the  word  of  truth ; 
wise  stewards,  to  give  the  household  their  portion 
of  meat  in  due  season;  able  to  convince  gainsayers, 
to  stop  the  mouths  of  unruly  and  vain  talkers ;  to 
reprove,  to  rebuke,  to  exhort,  with  all  long-suffering 
and   doctrine   and    authority ;   and   to   know  how 


384  Act  for  Establishing  the 

tliej  ought  to  behave  themselves  in  the  house  of 
God,  ruhng  well,  and  being  ensamples  to  the  flock. 
And  Whereas,  the  aforesaid  qualifications,  since  the 
miraculous  effusions  of  the  Divine  Spirit  have 
ceased,  cannot  be  obtained  in  any  other  way  than 
by  his  blessing  upon  the  cultivation  of  natural 
talent,  sanctified  by  his  grace ;  which  cultivation 
consists  in  a  good  acquaintance  with  those  various 
branches  of  literature  which  are  necessary  for  un- 
derstanding, expounding,  defending,  and  applying 
all  the  parts  of  revealed  truth.  And  Whereas, 
seminaries  erected  for  the  especial  purpose  of  in- 
structing the  rising  ministry  in  things  immediately 
connected  with  thefr  holy  vocation,  are  the  most 
probable  means  of  attaining  the  proposed  end  ;  have 
been  cherished  by  the  Christian  Church  with  much 
affection  from  the  earliest  ages ;  and  have  been 
remarkably  owned  of  God,  for  the  preservation  of 
her  purity  and  glory.  And  Whereas,  the  Lord  has 
been  graciously  pleased  to  inchne  the  hearts  of 
Christians,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  to  assist  the 
Associate  Reformed  Church  in  the  design  of  esta- 
blishing such  a  seminary  ;  Therefore, 

The  Ministers  and  Elders,  in  general  Synod 
convened,  do  hereby  Direct  and  Ordain,  That  their 
seminary  be  forthwith  established  in  the  city  of 
New  York  for  the  sole  purpose  of  preparing  for 
the  work  of  the  ministry  such  young  men  as, 
having  passed  through  a  previous  course  of  hbcral 


Theological  Seminary  at  New  York.      385 

education,  shall  resolve  to  consecrate  themselves 
to  the  service  of  God  in  the  Gospel  of  his  Son. 

And  the  Synod  further  direct,  That  the  course 
of  instruction  in  said  seminary  be  conducted  by  a 
professor  in  theology,  to  be  chosen  by  their  ballot 
at  all  times  hereafter,  and  to  hold  his  office  and 
emoluments  until  removed  by  a  vote  of  two-thirds 
of  the  General  Synod,  w^hich  vote  shall  not  pass 
till  a  meeting  subsequent  to  that  at  which  it  shall 
have  been  proposed ;  provided  that  this  shall  not 
be  construed  to  impair  the  power  of  the  Synod,  on 
any  charge  of  gross  error  or  immorality,  to  suspend 
a  professor  from  the  exercise  of  his  functions,  till 
judgment  be  definitively  given. 

A7id  the  Synod  further  direct,  That  the  outline 
of  instruction  in  the  seminary  be  as  follows,  viz. 

1.  The  scriptures  themselves  shall  be  the  great 
subject  of  study. 

2.  The  period  of  study  in  the  seminary  shall  be 
four  years ;  and  the  session  shall  continue  for 
seven  months  successively,  that  is  to  say,  from  the 
first  Monday  of  November  till  the  first  Monday 
of  June. 

3.  These  four  years  shall  be  divided  into  two 
equal  parts ;  and  the  course  of  study  shall  proceed 
as  follows : 

Every  student  shall  begin  and  close  the  day 
with  exercises  of  secret  devotion;  uniting  to 
prayer  the  reading  of  a  portion  of  God's  word; 

VOL.  IV.     25 


386  Act  for  Establishing  the 

and  using  as  a  help  some  book  of  impressive  prac- 
tical religion.  In  these  exercises  he  is  to  read  the 
scriptures,  not  as  a  critic,  but  as  a  Christian;  as  a 
saved  sinner,  who  knows  no  other  way  of  peace, 
but  that  which  belongs  to  him  in  common  with 
the  least  of  God's  redeemed;  and  who  lives  by 
faith,  for  daily  counsel,  and  strength,  and  consola- 
tion, upon  that  Saviour  whom  he  is  afterwards  to 
preach  to  others. 

Such  a  portion  of  every  day,  (the  Lord's  day 
excepted,)  shall  be  devoted  to  the  study  of  the 
Scriptures  in  the  original  tongues,  and  of  that 
literature  which  facilitates  this  study,  as  by  a  faith- 
ful improvement  of  time,  may  enable  the  student 
at  the  expiration  of  his  course,  to  read  the 
originals  with  tolerable  ease. 

The  Holy  Scriptures  in  our  common  version, 
shall  be  read  in  such  daily  portions,  as  shall  finish 
the  whole  during  the  first  period  of  two  years: 
and  to  render  the  reading  thereof  more  profitable, 
the  professor  of  theology  shall  direct  the  student 
to  succinct  treatises  on  spiritual  subjects,  as  they 
occur,  and  shall  carefully  examine  him  on  these 
subjects. 

Having  completed  this  first  reading  of  the  scrip- 
tures, the  student  shall  commence  a  second  course 
of  the  same  nature,  dividing  it  in  such  a  manner  as 
to  finish  it  at  the  expiration  of  his  last  year.  He 
shall  now  consult  the  originals,  step  by  step,  as  he 


Theological  Seminary  at  New  York.      387 

goes  along,  and  have  his  course  of  biblical  reading 
extended  under  the  direction  of  the  professor. 

With  his  third  year  the  student  shall  commence 
the  study  of  systematic  theology,  and,  as  a  basis  for 
it,  he  shall  commit  to  memory  during  the  previous 
two  years,  the  whole  text  of  the  confession  of  faith, 
and  larger  catechism.  He  shall  read,  on  each  topic, 
such  proper  books  as  may  be  digested  within  the 
time  allotted,  and  may  give  him  an  acquaintance 
with  the  substance  of  the  system. 

The  professor  shall  also  lecture  upon  the  primary 
topics  of  the  system,  following  the  general  order  of 
the  confession  of  faith.  That  his  students  may 
enjoy  the  benefit  of  his  whole  course  of  lectures, 
he  must  not  fail  to  complete  it  within  two  years. 
And,  on  the  other  hand,  that  this  time  may  be  suf- 
ficient, his  lectures  are  to  be  concise  and  dense, 
accommodated  to  the  principle  that  his  work  is 
not  so  much  to  furnish  his  pupils  with  thoughts,  as 
to  set  them  upon  a  proper  train  of  thinking  for 
themselves. 

In  the  fourth  year  of  the  course,  the  professor 
shall  also  deliver  critical  lectures;  which  are  to 
embrace  not  merely  the  philology  of  the  context, 
but  also  its  connexion,  scope,  and  argument.  No 
authority  is  to  be  admitted  in  these  lectures  but 
that  of  the  originals ;  the  student  shall  have  them 
before  him,  and  turn  to  the  parallel  texts  cited  by 


388  Act  for  Establishing  the 

the  professor.  These  texts  to  be  few  and  well 
selected. 

Every  student  shall  prepare  in  his  third  year, 
two  of  those  discourses  commonly  called  lectures, 
and  two  popular  sermons ;  and  in  his  fourth  year, 
three  of  each  ;  neither  to  exceed  half  an  hour 
when  deliberately  spoken.  All  the  scriptural 
proofs,  cited  by  a  student  in  any  exercise  of  his 
fourth  year,  must  be  referable  to  the  originals. 
Hours  of  study  must  be  so  distributed  as  to  leave  a 
suitable  portion  to  miscellaneous  reading,  such  as 
history,  morality,  belles  lettres,  &c.  and  to  health- 
ful bodily  exercise. 

And  the  Synod  further  direct,  1.  That  every 
student,  on  his  admission,  bind  himself  in  a  written 
obligation  to  strict  obedience,  to  diligence,  to  peace, 
and  not  to  propagate,  directly  or  indirectly,  any 
opinion  or  tenet  whatever,  contrary  to  the  known 
faith  of  the  Associate  Reformed  Church. 

2.  That  students,  who  do  not  depend  in  any  mea- 
sure, for  their  temporal  support,  upon  the  provision 
made  or  to  be  made  for  such  as  maybe  in  indigent 
circumstances  shall  pay  into  the  hands  of  the  pro- 
fessor, for  the  benefit  of  the  seminary,  the  annual 
sum  of  twenty-four  dollars. 

3.  That  students  of  other  denominations  be  ad- 
mitted into  the  seminary  upon  the  same  terms  as 
are  exacted  from  those  of  the  Associate  Reformed 
Church  ;  and  on  condition  of  their  paying  into  the 


Theological  Seminary  at  Neiv  York.      389 

hands  of  the  professor  of  theology,  for  the  use  of 
the  seminary,  the  annual  sum  of  thhty-two  dollars. 

4.  That  no  person  shall  be  admitted  as  a  student, 
without  producing  satisfactory  proof  of  the  follow- 
ing particulars : 

That  he  has  received  a  liberal  education;  or  has 
an  adequate  acquaintance  with  those  branches  of 
literature  which  usually  enter  into  such  an  educa- 
tion. 

That  he  is  in  full  communion  with  the  Christian 
Church ;  that  his  habitual  deportment  is  exem- 
plary and  prudent ;  and  that  his  natural  talents 
are  such  as,  by  an  ordinary  blessing  upon  their 
cultivation,  may  render  him  an  able  minister  of  the 
New  Testament.  Presbyterial  certificate,  clear 
and  explicit,  to  the  above  purport,  shall  always  be 
satisfactory. 

5.  That  in  so  far  as  relates  to  the  enjoyment  of 
sacramental  privilege,  all  students  shall  be  consid- 
ered as  subject  to  the  discipline  of  that  congrega- 
tion with  which  they  statedly  worship. 

And  the  Synod  further  direct  j  That  the  care  of 
the  seminary  be  intrusted  to  five  ministers  of  the 
Associate  Reformed  Church,  to  be  called  su2)erin- 
tendents  of  the  seminary ;  who  shall  be  chosen  by 
the  ballot,  and  hold  their  ofiice  during  the  pleasure 
of  the  General  Synod.  The  said  superintendents, 
or  a  major  part  of  them,  shall  have  full  power  and 
authority : 


390  Aci  for  Establishing  the 

To  direct  the  application  of  the  plan  of  study 
dehneated  within  this  act : 

To  regulate  the  hbrarj,  and  order  the  purchase 
of  such  books  as  may  be  necessary  for  it : 

To  regulate  the  discipline  of  the  seminary: 

To  judge  of  the  progress  of  the  students,  so  far 
as  to  determine,  without  appeal,  and  at  any  stage 
of  the  course,  whether  a  student  can  proceed  with 
profit  to  himself  and  to  the  church  of  God ;  or 
whether,  and  how  far,  he  should  be  remitted  to 
his  former  studies ;  and  for  this  end  to  appoint 
such  tests  of  proficiency  as  they  shall  deem 
proper  -. 

To  make,  generally,  all  by-laws  for  carrying 
into  effect  the  design  for  which  the  seminary  is 
instituted ;  provided,  that  they  be  not  contrary 
to  the  constitution  of  the  Associate  Reformed 
Church,  nor  to  any  act  of  the  General  Synod. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  said  superintendents 
to  visit  the  seminary  annually,  on  the  Wednesday 
immediately  preceding  the  last  Wednesday  of 
May,  to  consult  with  the  professor  on  points  not 
immediately  involving  his  personal  responsibility ; 
to  keep  exact  records  of  their  proceedings :  and 
to  report  to  the  General  Synod,  at  the  meeting 
next  ensuing  their  said  visitation,  the  state  of  the 
seminary,  their  own  transactions,  and  such  other 
things  as  they  may  judge  necessary.  The  deci- 
sions and  regulations  of  the   superintendents  shall 


Theological  Seminary  at  New  York.      391 

have  full  force  and  virtue,  unless  repealed  by  them- 
selves, or  by  the  General  Synod ;  provided  always, 
that  contumacy  on  the  part  of  a  student  tovi^ard 
any  of  the  said  decisions  or  regulations,  during  a 
visitation  by  the  superintendents,  shall  be  punished 
with  immediate  expulsion  from  the  seminary ;  and 
that  the  offender  shall  not  be  restored,  but  in  virtue 
of  exemplary  penitence,  and  by  an  act  of  the 
General  Synod.  If  a  vacancy  shall  happen  by 
death,  resignation,  or  otherwise,  in  the  board  of 
superintendents,  they  shall  have  power  to  fill  said 
vacancy  till  the  next  meeting  of  General  Synod ; 
and  shall  then  present  to  the  Synod  the  names  of 
two  persons  for  each  vacancy,  and  of  these  two 
the  Synod  shall  choose  one  by  ballot,  to  supply  the 
vacancy  for  which  the  nominations  shall  be  pre- 
sented respectively. 

If  any  of  the  superintendents  shall  be  absent 
from  two  annual  visitations  successively  without 
assigning  any  satisfactory  reason  therefor,  such 
absence  shall  be  considered  as  a  resignation,  and 
his  seat  vacated  accordingly. 

The  superintendents  shall  elect  their  own 
officers. 

They  shall  have  power  to  draw  upon  the  trea- 
surer of  the  Synod  for  the  amount  of  their  expenses 
contracted  by  their  annual  visitation  to  the  semi- 
nary, and  the  duties  therewith  connected  ;  and  the 
treasurer  shall,  without  delay,  pay  said  amount. 


392  Act  for  EstahlisJdng  the 

And  the  Synod  further  direct,  That  every  Pres- 
bytery, as  they  shall  have  opportunity  during  the 
recess  of  the  seminary,  take  cognizance  of  the 
improvement  and  conduct  of  their  students ;  but 
that  no  Presbytery  shall  remove  a  student  from  the 
seminary,  without  the  special  leave  of  the  super- 
intendents ;  which  leave,  if  his  removal  be  solicit- 
ed with  the  view  of  licensing  him  to  preach,  shall 
not  be  granted,  unless  the  superintendents  shall 
judge  him  qualified ;  nor  shall  any  Presbytery  take 
a  student  upon  trial  for  license,  without  a  certifi- 
cate from  the  superintendents,  bearing  their  judg- 
ment that  he  is  suitably  quahfied. 

And  the  Synod  further  direct,  That  no  student 
shall  receive  a  certificate  as  aforesaid  from  the 
superintendents,  unless,  in  addition  to  the  essential 
requisite  of  a  Christian  walk  while  at  the  semi- 
nary, he  be  able,  as  a  part  of  his  hterary  qualifica- 
tions, to  translate  into  correct  English  the  Penta- 
teuch and  Psalter  from  the  Hebrew,  and  the  New 
Testament  from  the  Greek,  ad  aperturam  lihri. 

And  the  Synod  further  direct.  That  so  much  of 
the  expense  necessary  for  the  maintenance  of  stu- 
dents in  the  communion  of  the  Associate  Reformed 
Church,  as  shall  exceed  the  sum  which  they  may 
be  able  to  pay,  and  shall  not  be  provided  for  in  any 
other  manner,  be  defrayed  out  of  the  revenue  ap- 
propriated to  the  seminary. 

And  the  Synod  further  direct  and  ordain,  That 


•  Theological  Seminary  at  Neio  York.      393 

no  alteration  shall  be  made  in  the  plan  of  educa- 
tion established  by  this  act,  until  it  shall  have  been 
proposed  at  a  stated  meeting  of  the  General 
Synod,  and  passed  by  a  vote  of  two-thirds  of  the 
members,  at  a  subsequent  stated  meeting. 
By  Order  of  the  Synod 

James  Mairs,  Moderator. 

James  Gray,  Clerk. 


Further  Extracts  from  the  Minutes  of  the  General 
Synod,  1805. 

Resolved,  That  the  professor  be,  and  hereby  is, 
directed  to  commence  the  course  of  instraction 
prescribed  by  the  "  Act  relative  to  a  Theological 
Seminary,"  on  the  first  Monday  in  November 
next. 

Resolved,  That  the  superintendents  be,  and  they 
hereby  are,  directed  to  meet  on  the  first  Monday 
m  November  next,  at  the  city  of  New  York,  for 
the  purpose  of  organizing  the  seminary  ;  and  fixing 
the  place  which  the  students,  who  have  already 
spent  some  time  in  the  study  of  theology,  shall 
occupy  in  the  course  of  instruction  prescribed  by 
the  act  of  Synod  of  this  date. 

Resolved,  That  the  different  Presbyteries  be 
forthwith  informed  of  the  establishment  of  a  semi- 
nary for  the  instruction  of  youth  in  the  knowledge 


394  Further  Extracts,  d^c. 

of  theology,  and  enjoined  to  send  their  students  to 
the  city  of  New  York,  at  the  time  appointed  for 
opening  the  said  seminary. 

Resolved,  That  measures  be  immediately  taken 
to  have  all  our  ministers  supplied  with  the  Scrip- 
tures in  the  original  tongues,  and  with  proper 
helps  for  prosecuting  the  study  of  them. 

Resolved,  That  every  minister  be  enjoined  to 
pursue,  in  so  far  as  it  shall  be  applicable  to  his  cir- 
cumstances, and  consistent  with  his  engagements, 
a  course  of  biblical  reading  similar  to  that  which 
is  recommended  in  the  report  on  the  plan  for  the 
seminary,  to  which  they  are  referred. 

Resolved,  That  every  Presbytery  be,  and  they 
hereby  are  directed,  to  devote  a  suitable  portion  of 
time,  at  least  once  in  six  months,  to  the  investiga- 
tion of  portions  of  the  Original  Scriptures,  previ- 
ously selected  for  the  purpose.  That  at  least  one 
of  their  number,  taken  in  rotation,  shall,  at  such 
meeting,  deliver  a  critical  dissertation  upon  some 
scriptural  subject  to  be  previously  assigned  to  him; 
and  that  they  keep  a  regular  journal  of  their  lite- 
rary transactions,  and  preserve  the  dissertations 
among  their  papers. 


The  superintendents  of  the  seminary  are  the  Rev. 
Messrs.  Robert  Annan,  John  McJimsey,  Alexander 
Proudfit,  James  Gray,  D.D.,  and  James  Jjaurie. 


A     LETTER 


THE   MEMBERS 


ASSOCIATE-REFORMED   CHURCH, 


RELATIVE    TO    A 


THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY. 


A    LETTER, 


ETC. 


Christian  Brethren, — The  printed  minutes 
of  the  proceedings  of  the  General  Synod  at  their 
meeting  in  May  last,  will  inform  you  that,  through 
the  good  hand  of  their  God  upon  them,  they  have 
at  length  succeeded  in  estabhshing  a  theological 
seminary.  This  institution,  the  sole  end  of  which 
is  to  prepare  for  the  work  of  the  ministry  young 
men  whose  hearts  God  hath  touched,  will  recom- 
mend itself  to  public-spirited  Christians.  A  slight 
acquaintance  with  the  situation  of  our  country  will 
convince  them  that  there  is  a  most  lamentable 
want  of  men  "  to  labor  in  word  and  doctrine ;" 
especially  of  "  workmen  who  need  not  to  be 
ashamed."  And  it  is  most  certain,  that  not  every 
pious  and  zealous  man  is  fit  to  be  a  builder  in  the 
house  of  God.  They  who  are  to  instruct  must  be 
instructed.  They  who  are  to  "  bring  out  of  their 
treasury  things  new  and  old,"  must  have  their 
treasury  stored  with   old  things   and  new.      The 


398  Letter  relative  to  a 

priest's   lips  should  keep  knowledge;   and  they 
should  seek  the  law  at  his  mouth  ;  for  he  is  the 
messenger  of  the  Lord  of  hosts.     It  is  not  seemly 
that   one    invested    with   such    a   character,    and 
called  to  such  functions,  should  be  "  unskilful  in  the 
word  of  righteousness."     If  he  be  "  mighty  in  the 
scriptures,"  and  prudent  in  his  carriage ;  living  un- 
der the  power  of  those  truths  which  he  preaches 
to  others,  he  will  "  commend  himself  to  every  man's 
conscience ;  he  will  feed  his  flock  "  with  knowledge 
and  understanding;"  and  will  reflect  honor  upon 
the  gospel.     If,  on  the  other  hand,  his  attainments 
be  slender  ;  if,  with  the  exception  of  some  plain 
doctrinal  passages,  the  Bible  be  to  him  a  sealed 
book ;  if  he  be  not  able  to  remove  ordinary  scru- 
ples, nor  to  stop  the  mouths  of  gainsayers ;  if  serious 
and  sensible  hearers  do  not  obtain  more  satisfac- 
tory views  of  divine  things  and  the  divine  word, 
with  his  aid,  than  without  it ;    he   may  enjoy  a 
transient   popularity;   he  may   even   become   the 
leader  of  an  impassioned  multitude ;  but  he  will 
not  "build  up  believers  in  their  most  holy  faith;" 
he  wiU  not  be  surrounded  by  steady  Christians 
whose  firmness  may  be  counted  upon  in  the  hour 
of  trial;  nor,  in  the  end,  will  he  fail  to  bring  con- 
tempt upon  himself,  and,  what  is  infinitely  worse,  a 
reproach  upon  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ.     None 
decry  talents  and  learning  in  the  ministry  but  those 
who,  being  destitute  of  both,  "  understand  neither 


Theological  Seminary.  399 

what  they  say,  nor  whereof  they  affirm."  And  if 
they  assume  to  be  teachers  themselves,  it  is  the 
interest  of  their  vanity  to  prevent  others  from 
rising  above  their  ov/n  level.  However  such  men 
rail  against  literature,  be  assured,  brethren,  that  an 
ignorant  ministry  is  a  dreadful  curse.  You  have 
only  to  inspect  the  nature  of  the  case  and  the  his- 
tory of  past  times,  to  perceive  its  mischievous  ten- 
dency. Yet  this  is  the  very  evil  to  which  the  age 
inclines.  You  recoil  at  the  thought  of  its  progress ; 
and  you  ask,  How  shall  it  be  arrested  ?  We  an- 
swer, that  while  the  Lord  alone  can  teach  men  to 
speak  because  they  believe  ;  and  while  he  alone 
can  thrust  forth  laborers  who  shall  be  ultimately 
successful,  there  are  means  within  your  own  reach; 
means,  the  use  of  which  you  may  lawfully  connect 
with  the  hope  of  his  blessing  ;  and  of  which  the 
further  neglect  will  bring  guilt  upon  your  con- 
sciences, calamity  upon  your  churches,  and  it  may 
be,  ruin  upon  your  children.  The  means  to  which 
we  more  particularly  refer  is,  provision  for  the 

INSTRUCTION  OF  YOUR   FUTURE   MINISTERS. 

The'  Synod,  thus  far,  have  done  their  part. 
They  have  seized  the  earliest  opportunity  of  found- 
ing a  seminary  where  youth  may  acquire  much  of 
that  cultivation  which  is  indispensable  to  a  well- 
appointed  ministry.  Had  their  encouragement 
been  greater,  they  would  have  adopted  this  mea- 
sure sooner ;    and    it  is  not  their   fault   that  the 


400  Letter  relative  to  a 

churches  are  not  now  rejoicing  in  its  happy  effects. 
But  though  they  have  encountered  many  embar- 
rassments ;  though  they  have  seen,  v\^ith  anguish, 
the  backvi^ardness  of  their  people  in  supporting 
their  efforts ;  yet  they  cherish  strong  hopes  from 
the  turn  which  matters  have  more  recently  taken. 
The  liberality  of  Christians  abroad,  which  has  fur- 
nished them  with  an  excellent  Ubrary ;  the  reviving 
spirit  which  pervades  some  parts  of  their  own  body 
at  home  ;  and  their  harmony  in  digesting  the  plan 
of  instruction,  they  would  consider  as  presages 
that  their  "labor  shall  not  be  in  vain  in  the  Lord." 
On  perusing  their  "-Act  relative  to  a  Theological 
Seminary^'  you  will  observe  that  they  aim  at  a 
more  extensive  and  sohd  education  for  the  ministry 
than  has  been  usual  in  these  states.  They  are 
sensible  that  their  plan  is  at  war  with  those  loose 
and  superficial  habits  which  threaten  the  extirpa- 
tion of  all  sound  learning :  that  some  will  think  the 
period  of  instruction  too  long — that  others  will 
suppose  the  extent  of  the  country  requires  different 
seminaries — and  that  many  will  view  the  expense 
as  an  insuperable  obstacle.  All  these  things  have 
been  anticipated.  The  deliberations  of  the  Synod 
were  never  more  cautious,  than  when  occupied 
with  the  affairs  of  their  seminary.  Difficulties 
were  carefully  surveyed;  and  excepting  a  small 
division  on  a  very  few  of  the  less  important  arti- 


Theological  Seminary.  401 

cles,  you  have,  in  their  act,  the  expression  of  their 
unanimous  voice. 

1.  Aware  how  criminal  it  is  to  trifle  with  those 
invaUiable  interests  which  are  committed  to  the 
ministry  of  reconcihation,  they  resoh^ed  to  inquire, 
not  what  is  customarv,  but  what  is  right:  to  make 
a  stand  against  the  inroads  of  destructive  fashion ; 
and  to  fix  the  education  of  their  own  youth  upon  a 
proper  basis.  Under  such  impressions  they  have 
appointed  a  course  of  studies  which  they  hnoiv  to 
be  of  the  Ji?-st  necessity ;  and  which,  with  the 
Lord's  blessing,  will  repay  the  diligence  of  the 
student,  and  the  patronage  of  the  churches. 

2.  In  the  present  relaxed  state  of  preparation 
for  the  ministry,  it  is  nol:  unnatural  that  four  years 
should  appear  to  many  an  unreasonable  length  of 
time  to  be  consumed  in  previous  study.  The  an- 
swer is  plain.  Four  years  run  rapidly  b}'.  Indo- 
lence or  conceit  may  fret  at  the  detention  ;  but  the 
modest  youth  who  husbands  his  opportunities  will 
not  find  an  hour  to  linger.  Such  as  can  form  an 
estimate  of  Christian  hteraturc,  will  pronounce  the 
period  to  be  short  enough.  Such  as  cannot,  and 
are  therefore  incompetent  judges,  should  submit  to 
the  opinion  of  those  who  have  made  the  trial;  and 
have  ascertained,  by  sorrowful  experience,  how 
hard,  often  how  impossible  it  is,  after  entering  into 
the    ministry,    to    complete    those    studies    which 

ought  to  have  been  completed  before. 
VOL.  IV.     26 


402  Letter  relative  to  a 

•'  The  wants  of  the  churches"  have  no  force  in 
this  argument;  hecause  it  is  infinitely  better  for 
them  to  wait  a  little  longer,  and  be  well  supplied, 
than  to  be  condemned  to  spiritual  penury  for  a 
series  of  years,  by  the  settlement  of  unqualified 
men :  and  because  the  delay  will  be  felt  only  for  a 
year  or  two  at  first,  after  which,  if  the  seminary  be 
fed,  there  will  be  a  regular  succession  of  preachers. 

3.  The  immense  tract  of  country  over  which 
our  congregations  are  scattered,  and  the  hardship 
of  travelling  from  the  extremes,  do  certainly  render 
it  inconvenient  to  assemble  our  students  in  one 
place ;  and  it  may  be  asked,  why  steps  were  not 
taken  to  meet  this  difficulty  in  the  beginning? 
Why  several  seminaries  are  not  erected  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  consult  our  geographical  positions  ? 
The  questions  are  natural ;  and  merit  respectful 
notice.  It  may  be  rephcd,  in  general,  that  we  can- 
not control  circumstances,  but  are  controlled  by 
them.  And  a  number  of  them  have  concurred  to 
hinder,  at  present,  the  planting  of  more  seminaries 
than  one. 

1st.  It  has  been  a  work  of  nine  years  to  plant 
one  ;  and  common  prudence  dictates  that  this  one 
should  be  watered,  and  take  root,  and  gather 
strength,  before  we  think  of  more.  The  \\  bole 
supply  will  be  little  enough  for  its  nourishment; 
and  if  it  be  distributed  among  a  nnmber,  none  of 
them  will  have  sufficient,  and  all  will  languish. 


Theological  Seminary.  403 

2d.  At  the  commeacemeiit  of  a  new  system  of 
education,  it  is  wise  to  have  our  attention  and 
affections  concentrated :  that  the  experiment  may 
be  fair,  the  plan  perfected,  and  a  model  framed  for 
future  and  subordinate  institutions.  Communities, 
like  individuals,  succeed  best  by  doing  one  thing  at 
a  time,  li  different  parts  of  a  body  which  has  not 
yet  organized  its  strength,  pursue,  at  once,  different 
objects  of  the  same  kind,  more  toil  and  money  will 
be  expended,  and  less  done  to  the  purpose,  than  if 
the  whole  act  together,  and  bring  their  united  force 
to  bear  upon  the  several  points  of  a  counnon  sys- 
tem, as  their  need  shall  direct,  and  their  means 
permit. 

3d.  A  theological  seminary,  without  a  library,  is 
good  for  nothing.  Every  one,  therefore,  must 
have  its  own  library.  To  divide  that  which  is 
already  in  the  Synod's  possession,  would  be  to  de- 
stroy it,  and  misapply  the  bounty  of  their  benefac- 
tors. The  books  which  would  be  most  indispen- 
sable to  other  seminaries,  are  precisely  those  which 
can  least  be  spared.  And  to  furnish  every  semi- 
nary with  a  library  for  itself,  would  absorb  a  larger 
capital  than  can  be  raised  ;  not  to  mention  that  a 
number  of  the  most  useful  books  are  very  scarce, 
and  are  not  to  be  had  in  this  country ;  and  fre- 
quently not  from  Europe,  even  were  there  no  want 
of  money. 

4th.    The    advantages    of    several    seminaries 


404  Letter  7-elative  to  a 

would  hardly  compensate,  as  yet,  for  the  additional 
trouble  and  cost.  The  distance  from  each,  though 
certainly  less,  would  still  be  great  to  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  students;  and  the  re^/ benefit  confined 
to  a  few.  Perhaps,  too,  the  disadvantages  in  other 
particulars,  might  overbalance  the  advantage  of 
local  accommodation.  After  all,  both  good  and 
evil  are  magnified  in  prospect;  and  it  is  neither 
impossible  nor  improbable  that  our  difficulties  will 
be  less  formidable  in  fact  than  they  are  in  specula- 
tion. 

Lastly — One  seminary  is  now  adequate,  and 
will  be  adequate  for  some  time  hereafter,  to  the 
whole  number  of  our  students.  When  it  shall 
cease  to  be  so,  will  be  the  proper  season  for  pro- 
jecting more. 

4.  The  inexpediency  of  more  seminaries  than 
one  being  admitted,  many  may  still  suppose  that 
the  spot  for  that  one  has  not  been  well  selected. 
Cities  are  generally  expensive,  and  New  York  is 
undeniably  so  at  this  moment.  Young  men,  who 
could  support  themselves  comfortably  at  home,  or 
in  some  more  retired  situation,  will  find  their 
resources  too  scanty  for  New  York ;  and  many  be 
deterred  by  that  alone  from  the  prosecution  of 
their  studies. 

The  difficulty  is  obvious,  and  is  one  of  the  most 
serious  which  we  have  to  encounter.  It  is  not, 
however,  insurmountable ;  and  there  are  conside- 


Theological  Seminary.  405 

rations,  which,  when  duly  weighed,  may  reconcile 
the  churches  to  the  place  as  well  as  to  the  plan. 

An  effective  seminar}^  must  be  attended  with 
expense,  wherever  it  be  fixed ;  and  an  expense 
greater  than  would  be  suspected  by  such  as  are 
not  accustomed  to  the  proper  computations.  The 
notion  of  an  institution  that  shall  cost  nothins:,  or 
but  a  trifle,  and  shall  yet  educate  in  a  suitable 
manner,  the  rising  ministry  of  a  church  respectable 
for  numbers,  and  extending  every  day,  is  no  better 
than  a  dream.  Her  friends,  therefore,  must  either 
abandon  the  design  altogether,  and  with  it  their 
own  most  precious  interests ;  or  they  must  incur 
expense,  and  devise  methods  of  meeting  it. 
There  is  no  other  alternative,  and  it  would  be 
folly  to  conceal  or  disguise  the  truth.  In  deciding 
on  the  place,  their  first  inquiry  is,  Where  their 
object  can  he  best  obtained  ? 

If  there  be  a  choice  of  situations,  they  will,  of 
course,  compare  the  advantages  and  disadvantages 
of  each,  with  a  special  reference  to  their  finances. 
And  after  the}^  have  reviewed  all  those  which 
would  answer  their  purpose,  they  may  discover, 
that  in  a  place  where  much  would  be  saved  on 
some  accounts,  much  would  be  lost  on  others;  but 
that  the  difference,  upon  the  ichole,  is  not  so  great 
as  to  justify  the  smallest  risk  of  injuring  their  in- 
stitution. 

Reasons  will  suggest  themselves  to  a  reflecting 


406  Letter  relative  to  a 

mind,  for  preferring  a  spot  among  the  older  settle- 
ments. The  state  of  society  is  more  matured, 
more  stable,  and  therefore  yields  not  only  more 
convenience,  but  also  a  surer  rule  of  calculation. 
Pecuniary  and  literary  aid  can  more  easily  be  had, 
and  is  less  Hable  to  interruption.  Ordinances, 
ministers,  judicatories,  are  more  accessible.  The 
students  must  be  expected  to  bear  some  proportion 
to  the  population ;  and  it  is  prudent  to  consult  the 
comfort  of  the  greatest  possible  number.  But,  to 
whatever  district  your  seminary  be  assigned,  you 
must  select  for  its  site  a  country-place,  or  a  village, 
or  a  large  town  or  city.  Without  minutely  ex- 
amining their  relative  pretensions,  it  nmy  be  re- 
marked : 

1.  That  in  either  of  the  first  two,  it  might  be 
necessary  to  erect  buildings,  and  to  provide  the 
whole  support  of  the  teacher,  neither  of  which  are 
wanted  at  present.  Now,  the  interest  of  the  capital 
sunk  in  the  one,  with  occasional  repairs,  and  the 
revenue  appropriated  to  the  other,  would  be  more 
than  the  excess  of  other  expenses  attached  to  a 
city  establishment,  above  those  of  an  establishment 
in  the  country,  or  a  village. 

2.  That,  in  the  nature  of  things,  an  extra  share 
of  expense  will  fall  upon  that  portion  of  the  church 
which  immediately  encircles  the  seminary ;  and 
therefore  it  ought  to  be  set  down  in  a  place  which 
will  not  be  materially  affected  by  such  a  circum- 


Theological  Seminary.  407 

stance.  Were  it  endowed  with  ample  funds,  this 
augmentation  would  be  superseded  ;  but  in  its 
inlVmt  state  is  decisive  ;  and,  in  conjunction  with 
other  things,  will  show  that  the  Sjnod  have  not 
been  ill-advised  in  pitching  upon  New  York. 

Such  a  place  has  advantages  w^iich  are  worth 
paying  for.  Choice  of  Christian  society;  all  sorts 
of  literary  help ;  opportunities  of  seeing  a  variety 
of  gifts  and  excellencies  in  different  stations;  of 
studying  the  human  character  under  a  multitude  of 
aspects,  and  with  little  trouble,  &c. ;  all  which  are 
without  price  to  an  ingenuous  and  observant  youth. 
Our  people  in  New  York  have  cherished  the  s'emi- 
nary  with  pccuhar  affection.  Their  contribution, 
always  liberal,  amounted  for  the  last  year  to  more 
than  double  any  former  sum.*  There  is  no  pros- 
pect of  its  diminishing,  but  rather  of  its  increase. 
The  presence  of  the  students  will  tend  to  keep 
aUve  this  laudable  zeal,  and  to  attract  the  patron- 
age of  individuals  whom  God  has  distinguished 
with  this  world's  good.  Nor  is  it  unlikely  that  a 
removal  of  the  seminary  would  be  followed  with  a 
greater  reduction  of  income  than  of  expenditure. 

Much  being  thus  secured  on  the  score  of  gene- 
ral utility,  and  nothing  surrendered  on  that  of 
economy,  there  can  be  no  just  ground  of  complaint 

*  The  aggregate  of  contributions  to  the  public  fund,  for  the  year 
ending  May,  1805,  is  1380  dollars;  and  of  this,  804  dollars  are  from 
the  city  of  New  York. 


408  Letter  relative  to  a 

against  the  existing  arrangement;  and  it  becomes 
the  common  concern  to  facilitate  the  operations  of 
our  long-vvished-for  institution. 

Let  our  friends  and  brethren  correctly  under- 
stand what  is  expected.  The  students  must  apply 
to  their  studies  without  distraction.  Some  of  them 
will  require  no  pecuniary  assistance  :  some  must 
be  supported  in  part,  and  some  altogether.  That 
they  may  not  "  lose  the  things  which  they  have 
wrought,"  the  Synod  must  have  it  in  their  power 
to  say  to  their  youth,  "  Be  under  no  anxiety  for 
your  maintenance;  produce  what  you  can;  and 
if  it  be  not  enough,  we  will  take  care  of  the  balance. 
Only  be  sober,  be  diligent ;  and  repay  in  improve- 
ment what  you  receive  hi  money."  If  this  be  not 
accomplished,  past  efforts  and  liberality  are  thrown 
away ;  and,  humanly  speaking,  there  is  nothing 
now  wanting  to  carry  into  effect  a  better  system 
of  preparation  for  the  holy  ministry  than  has 
been  hitherto  introduced  into  the  United  States, 
but  a  little  exertion  on  the  part  of  our  cburches; 
nothing  but  a  decent  regard  to  some  of  the  strongest 
obligations  which  can  bind  the  soul  of  a  Christian. 
We  beseech  you,  brethren,  by  the  tender  mer- 
cies of  our  God;  by  the  value  which  you  set  upon 
his  gospel;  by  your  sympathy  with  those  who 
languish  under  a  famine  of  his  word  ;  by  your 
regard  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  your  own  chil- 
dren, when  you  shall  have  gone  to  give  up  your 


Theological  Seminary.  409 

accounts ;  that  you  refuse  not  to  encourage  and 
assist  the  youth  who  step  forward  to  consecrate 
themselves  to  the  service  of  the  Lord  your 
Redeemer.  Tliey  are  your  property ;  they  are 
your  hope.  No  man  can  tell  what  hlessings  he 
may  be  instrumental  in  bringing  down  upon  him- 
self, his  family,  his  neighborhood,  his  country,  by 
fostering  an  institution  from  which  are  to  issue 
future  ambassadors  of  the  cross.  Such  institutions 
were  among  the  earliest  cares  of  the  primitive  and 
reformed  churches ;  and  to  their  influence,  under 
the  sanctification  of  the  good  Spirit  of  your  God, 
do  you  owe  the  soundness  of  your  faith ;  the 
purity  of  your  worship ;  your  religious  light ;  that 
very  ministry  which  you  profess  to  revere  and  to 
love — nay,  that  divine  Scripture  which  is  in  your 
hands.  Yay  from  you  be  the  base  and  ignoble 
principle,  which  would  whisper  "  that  you  have  no 
more  to  do  w  ith  those  who  dedicate  themselves  to 
the  ministry,  than  with  apprentices  to  any  other 
employment,  till  they  offer  themselves,  already  pre- 
pared, for  your  approbation."  He  is  a  singular 
Christian  who  can  persuade  himself  that  the 
church  of  God,  which  has  a  charge  over  every 
baptized  infant,  has  no  concern  in  the  rearing  of 
those  who  are  to  dispense  to  her  the  word  of  life. 
And  far  from  you  be  the  principle,  equally  base 
and  ignoble,  which  stops  the  ear  and  closes  the 
hand,  whenever  a  pittance  is  asked  for  the  most 


410  Letter  relative  to  a 

sacred  use.     A  little  from  each  of  jou  will  nur- 
ture  a   seminary  which,  so  far   as  human  means 
can  go,  bids  fair  to  adorn  your  pulpits  with  "  burn- 
ing and  shining  lights."     Yours  will  be  the  conso- 
lation   of    compliance,    and   yours    the    guilt    of 
neglect.      You    may   say,    that    "we    cannot    tell 
whether  the  young  men  whom  we  propose  to  edu- 
cate for  the  ministry,  will  answer  our  expectations; 
that,    after   they    have    been    trained    up    at   our 
expense,  they  may  desert  our  connexion,  or  betake 
themselves   to    other   professions;   and,    therefore, 
that  it  is  profusion,  and  not  charity,  to    lay  out 
money    upon    such    an    experiment."     Be    it  so! 
but,    for    consistency's    sake,    let   the    same    doc- 
trine govern  you   in  other  things.     Never  put  a 
plough*  into  the  ground,  because  you  cannot  tell 
whether  your  crop  may.  not  be  blasted,  and  then 
you  will  lose  your  seed.     Never  send  your  son  to 
school,  because  you  cannot  tell  but  he  may  abuse 
his  knowledge  to  the  breaking  of  your  heart,  and 
then  it  would  have  been  better  for  him  to  be  as 
ignorant  as  the  beast  he  rides  upon,  and  you  will 
lose  the  expense   of  his  tuition  into  the  bargain. 
There   is   no  one   duty  which  such   an  objection 
cannot   set    aside.     Means   are  ours ;   events    are 
God's.    And  we  have  no  more  right  to  expect  that 
he  will  provide  our  churches  with  ministers,  if  we 
omit  the  appropriate  means  of  obtaining  them,  than 
that  he  will  clothe   our   fields   and  replenish    our 


Theological  Seminary.  411 

garners,  if,  under  pretext  of  trusting  in  his  provi- 
dence, we  never  handle  a  plough  or  a  sickle  !  If 
any  one  pretend,  that  in  soliciting  your  beneficence 
to  their  public  fund,  the  Synod  have  laid  schemes 
for  oppressing  or  incommoding  you  hereafter,  he  is 
either  deceived  or  wicked.  They  have  freely 
communicated  their  plans;  let  facts  interpret  their 
motives.  And  when,  on  looking  around,  you 
behold  every  Presbytery  under  their  inspection 
deriving  benefit,  directly  or  indirectly,  from  the 
application  of  their  fund,  pronounce  for  yourselves, 
whether  they  have  plotted  your  hurt,  or  sought 
your  happiness.  With  boldness,  therefore,  they 
appeal  to  you  again.  Thrice  have  they,  in  their 
judicial  capacity,  laid  before  you,  on  this  subject, 
their  ardent  wishes  founded  on  your  own  wants — 
in  their  act  concerning  a  Synodical  fund,  passed 
May,  1796;  and  in  their  pastoral  addresses  of 
1801  and  1802.  Their  recommendations  have 
been  seconded  by  the  voice  of  Presbyteries  and 
ministers ;  yet  it  has  been  their  mortification  t© 
witness  a  strange  supineness  in  many  of  their  con- 
gregations. Will  you  not  permit  them,  brethren, 
to  augur  better  things  ?  Shall  your  name,  year 
after  year,  be  stigmatized  with  the  reproach  of 
withholding  a  trifle  of  your  substance  from  a  gene- 
rous attempt  to  build  up  the  church  of  your  God  ? 
How  does  such  a  reluctance,  in  a  matter  involving 
both  your  honor  and  your  privilege,  consist  with 


412  Letter  relative  to  a 

spiritual-mindedness,  and  "  a  treasure  laid  up  in 
heaven  !"  How  can  you  sit  down  under  the  shame 
of  being  less  concerned  for  yourselves  than  are 
Christians  at  the  distance  of  three  thousand  miles, 
whose  munificence  has  enabled  you  to  begin  your 
seminary  with  high  advantage,  and  left  to  your 
public  spirit  the  light  and  pleasant  task  of  carrying 
it  on  \  How  can  you  reconcile  it  to  your  sense  of 
justice,  that  a  small  portion  of  your  brethren  should 
lavish  their  property  in  bearing  your  burdens;  while 
many  of  you,  more  opulent  than  some  who  have  set 
you  an  example,  not  only  decline  bearing  their  bur- 
dens in  turn,  but  even  touching  your  own  with  one 
of  your  fingers  ?  Had  all  acted  thus  ;  had  all  been 
eager  to  reap  the  profit  of  exertions  not  their  own, 
what  now  had  been  our  situation  !  Some  congre- 
gations which  are  settled,  would  have  been  still 
vacant — some  vacancies  that  were  languishing, 
and  begin  to  flourish,  would  have  been  dispersed. 
In  other  places,  ministers  would  have  been  worn 
out  in  extra  duties,  and  their  charges  deprived  of 
labors  which  they  now  statedly  enjoy.  It  is  as 
clear  as  the  light,  that  in  so  far  as  our  pubUc  fund 
has  been  the  instrument  of  our  prosperity,  those 
congregations  and  individuals  who  contribute  not 
their  quota,  are  really,  though  unintentionally, 
working  for  the  common  ruin.  And  if  this  same 
disposition  continue,  much  more  if  it  spread,  the 
most  sanguine  will  at  length,  be  discouraged,  and 


Theological  Sendnai-y.  413 

the  most  patient  grow  weary.*  The  fabric  which 
we  are  striving  to  rear  will  crumble  to  pieces ;  the 
hope  of  a  skilful  ministry  will  vanish  ;  and  all  the 
dismal  consequences  will  he  at  the  door  of  those 
who  withdrew  their  shoulders  from  the  yoke. 

If  we  use  not  flattering  words,  brethren,  it  is 
because  we  are  deeply  serious  ;  and  because  we 
are  well  assured,  that  if  your  seminary  perish,  there 
is  no  human  expedient  to  save  your  churches  from 
desolation.  Here,  then,  is  an  object  which,  enter- 
ing into  the  essence  of  your  social  stability,  prefers 
a  claim  upon  your  purse  which  you  cannot  inno- 
cently resist.  In  vain  do  you  '-pray  that  Satan's 
kingdom  may  be  destroyed,  and  the  kingdom  of 
grace  advanced,"  if  you  will  give  nothing  toward 
the  means  to  which  the  Lord  has  directed  for  that 
end.  We  repeat  it,  a  little  from  each  of  you  is 
enough.  Who  will  grudge  a  few  miserable  shil- 
lings once  a  twelvemonth,  in  an  affair  of  such 
magnitude  \  Who  will  be  the  poorer  at  the  year's 
end  ?  or  venture  to  insinuate  that  the  Son  of  God, 
whose  is  "the  earth  and  the  fulness  thereof,"  will 
remain  in  his  debt  for  such  a  donation  \  The 
duty  is  plain,  the  promise  pointed.     "  Honor  the 

*  Numbers  who  have  contributed  cheerfully  from  the  very  first, 
are  so  indignant  at  the  indifferent,  not  to  call  it  the  sordid,  conduct 
of  many  of  their  brethren  who  are  at  least  as  deeply  interested  as 
themselves,  that  nothing  but  a  sense  of  duty  and  the  habit  of  doing 
praiseworthy  deeds,  has  induced  them  to  persevere. 


414  Letter  relative  to  a 

Lord  with  thy  substance,  and  with  the  first  fruits 
of  all  thine  increase;  so  shall  thy  barns  be  filled 
with  plenty,  and  thy  presses  shall  burst  out  with 
new  wine."  Do  not  act,  brethren,  as  if  the  word 
of  your  God  were  unworthy  of  your  trust.  Let 
it  never  be  forgotten  that  he  will  have  a  share  of 
our  propertij ;  and  if  we  defraud  him  of  our  free- 
will offering,  of  the  "first  fruits  of  all  our  increase," 
he  will  wrest  from  our  hands  that  abused  wealth 
for  which  w^e  do  not  make  him  an  acknowleds;- 
meut  in  kind.  Many  a  delinquency  of  this  sort 
has  been  punished  with  a  bad  debt,  or  a  bad  crop; 
and  no  man  ever  gains  by  the  commutation.  The 
winds  of  heaven,  the  devouring  insect,  or  a  fam- 
ishing drought,  often  takes  away  more  at  a  blow, 
than  would  be  demanded  for  sacred  uses  in  twenty 
years.  Come  then,  brethren,  and  let  us  join  our 
tribute  to  the  temple  of  God.  Follow  up  with 
your  public  spirit  the  token  for  good  which  we 
already  see.  Gladden  the  hearts  of  those  noble 
youth  who  are  very  jealous  for  the  Lord  God  of 
hosts;  and  who  look  to  you  as  patrons  and  bene- 
factors. As  the  Lord  hath  prosiiered  you,  is  the 
rule.  Let  the  rich  man  rise  up  with  his  gold  :  and 
let  not  the  widow  blush  for  her  mite.  The  Lord 
will  see,  and  will  graciously  reward ;  for  "  he 
loveth  a  cheerful  giver."  It  is,  moreover,  a  statute 
of  his  kingdom,  that  "he  which  sovveth  sparingly, 
shall  reap  also  sparingly;  and  he    which  sovveth 


Theological  Seminaj-y.  415 

bountifully,  shall  reap  also  bountifully."  Do  you 
believe  his  truth?  Let  the  proof  appear  in  your 
next,  and  the  succeeding  annual  returns.  Not 
one  of  you  will  repent  as  having  done  too  much, 
when  he  comes  to  the  bed  of  death,  and  contrasts 
things  carnal  and  temporal,  with  things  spiritual 
and  eternal.  Refresh  our  bowels,  brethren.  And 
may  the  Lord  himself  "  open  the  windows  of 
heaven,  and  pour  you  out  a  blessing  till  there  be 
not  room  to  receive  it!" 

By  order  of  the  General  Synod, 

J.  M.  Mason, 
A.  Proudfit. 
New  York,  1805. 


A     LETTER 

TO 

THE   SYNOD 

OF  THE 

ASSOCIATE-REFORMED    CHURCH, 

RESPECTING    THE 

THEOLOGICAL    SEMINARY 

AT 

NEW    YORK. 

1819. 


VOL.  IV.     27 


A    LETTER, 


ETC 


To  the  Moderator  of  the   General  Sijnod  of  the 
Associate- Reformed  Church. 

Reverend  Sir, — The  experience  and  observa- 
tion of  fourteen  years,  embolden  me  to  ask  the 
attention  of  the  General  Synod  to  a  hw  remarks 
on  the  subject  of  their  theological  seminary. 

The  faculties,  which  the  Christian  ministry  re- 
quire to  be  developed ;  the  range  of  materials 
which  it  embraces  ;  their  various  applications  ;  and 
the  readiness  in  which  they  ought  always  to  be 
found,  for  instant  use;  besides  the  responsibility  of 
an  ambassador  of  God,  present  avocation,  appallinc^ 
to  even  a  resolute  spirit,  and  grievously  mistaken 
by  those  who  disparage  the  labors,  and  acquisition, 
preparatory  to  its  efficient  exercise. 

The  popular  error  on  this  head,  and  the  ten- 
dency of  things  to  fill  the  American  churches  with 
a  flippant  and  barren  ministry,  have  been  perceived 


420  Letter  to  the  Synod  respecting 

by  the  Synod,  and  stamped  on  the  principal  fea- 
tures of  their  plan  of  theological  education.  It  is 
very  respectfully  urged  on  the  Synod  not  so  far  to 
yield  to  clamorous  circumstances,  as  in  the  slightest 
degree  to  relax  their  system,  although  it  may  not 
hitherto  have  been  duly  executed ;  but  to  rouse  all 
their  vigor,  in  prosecuting  the  means  necessary  to 
insure  its  execution. 

The  work  to  be  performed  in  their  seminary  is 
too  arduous  for  the  professional  talent  hitherto  em- 
ployed; an  acknowledgment  made,  not  for  the 
purpose  of  reducing  the  work,  but  of  impressing 
upon  our  churches  the  importance  of  more  work- 
men. 

The  following  departments  in  the  seminary  ap- 
pear indispensable : 

1.  A  department  for  the  original  Greek  and 
Hebrew  languages.  It  is  unnecessary  to  dwell  on 
this  point.  Every  minister  of  sense  and  reflection, 
whether  he  be  well  versed  in  them  or  not,  feels  it 
every  day  of  his  life.  He  feels  that  no  man  can 
trust  himself,  as  a  safe  expositor  throughout,  who  is 
ignorant  of  them.  A  smattering  knowledge  is  sel- 
dom better,  and  sometimes  worse,  than  none  at  all ; 
and  it  is  much  to  be  deplored,  that  the  superficial 
character  of  college  education  in  the  United  States 
sends  youth  to  our  seminary,  for  the  most  part, 
uninitiated  in  the  first  principles  of  the  Greek 
tongue.     The  consequence  is,  that  their  teacher 


the   Theological  Seminary.  421 

must  turn  schoolmaster,  and  their  own  tunc  spent 
in  learning  rudiments  and  words,  when  it  ought  to 
be  employed  in  a  critical  investigation  of  the  genius 
of  the  language  itself.  No  method  of  meeting  such 
a  difficulty  at  the  threshold  has  occurred,  but  that 
of  a  preUminary  season  for  the  exckisive  study 
of  the  originals,  before  entering  on  the  theological 
course. 

This  department,  along  with  the  scriptural  anti- 
quities, in  so  far  as  a  reference  to  them  is  neces- 
sary for  illustrating  its  phraseology,  needs  one 
professor;'  but  as  there  is  little  new  in  it,  after  a 
man  has  once  become  versed  in  it,  it  is  not  incom- 
patible with  some  other  public  engagement,  and  the 
expense  will  of  course  be  less. 

2.  A  department  for  biblical  literature,  embracing 
separately  the  subjects  treated  of  in  the  Bible. 
Here  is,  in  reality,  the  main  field  of  instruction. 
Its  richness,  amplitude,  variety,  novelty,  (for  what 
student  of  the  Bible  does  not  constantly  find  in  it 
something  new  ?)  put  into  requisition  all  the  talent, 
all  the  learning,  all  the  skill  of  the  preceptor ;  and 
all  the  courage,  curiosity,  effort,  patience,  and  per- 
severance of  the  pupil.  It  keeps  both  at  uninter- 
mitted  labor.  If  properly  conducted,  the  teacher 
has  a  task  always  to  begin,  for  he  must  adapt  him- 
self to  the  different  orders  of  minds,  as  they  succeed 
each  other  under  his  inspection.  It  is  altogether 
unhke  the  mechanical  process  of  mere  lecturing, 


422  Letter  to  the  Synod  respecting 

which  it  iufinitoly  surpasses,  and  ahnost  entirely 
excludes.  From  the  pressure  which  it  lays  upon 
the  instructor,  it  will  never  become  fashionable; 
but  it  is  the  life-blood  of  your  system,  and  that 
which  forms,  and  if  duly  kept  up,  is  destined  to 
form,  its  peculiar  characteristic ;  of  which  the  un- 
assuming, but  unutterable  value,  can  only  be  gra- 
dually unfolded  in  your  growing  ministry. 

This  department  requires  the  whole  time  and 
labor  of  one  professor,  who  ought  to  be  entirely 
and  liberally  supported  by  the  seminary,  as  it  is 
not  easy  to  find  a  person  duly  qualified  ;  and  he 
must  be  always  an  ol)ject  of  competition. 

3.  A  department  of  systematic  and  polemic 
theology.  A  much  less  difficult  occupation  than 
the  other;  although  they  ought  to  have  a  mutual 
understanding,  and  yield  to  each  other  a  mutual 
support.  It  may  be  easily  connected  with  a  con- 
gregational charge. 

4.  A  department  for  composition  and  delivery. 
Here  the  discourses  of  the  students  are  to  be 
critically  reviewed,  with  especial  reference  to  the 
accuracy,  simplicity,  purity,  and  perspicuity  of  their 
style.  They  are  to  be  trained  to  a  just  and  natural 
mode  of  pulpit  utterance,  avoiding  all  affectation, 
all  the  artificial  precepts  of  the  schools  which  tend 
to  form  rhetoricians,  but  not  orators,  especially 
Christian  orators — all  coarseness,  clumsiness,  and 
vulgaritv.     Here  the  students  are  to  be  drilled  into 


the   Theological  Seminary.  423 

that  most  difficult  but  most  invaluable  accomplish- 
ment— although  nearly  neglected  everywhere — 
correct  reading.  It  is  a  public  reproach  upon  the 
ministers  of  the  gospel,  that  very  fevi^  of  them  can 
read  a  chapter  in  the  Bible  with  common  pro- 
priety. The  most  barbarous  pronunciation,  blun- 
dering emphasis,  and  disgusting  tones,  perpetually 
assail  every  cultivated  ear.  It  is  not  imagined  that 
the  greatest  perfection  in  tbe  art  of  reading  or 
speaking  can  effect  a  spiritual  change,  on  the  human 
heart ;  but  it  is  a  solemn  duty  not  to  exhibit  the 
"  word  of  life "  in  a  form  which,  something  like 
the  spirit  of  martyrdom,  is  required  to  endure. 

Xhis  department  needs  one  professor,  who,  while 
the  number  of  students  is  small,  may,  without  in- 
jury to  the  institution,  have  another  change;  but 
should  it  become  considerable,  will  find  his  employ- 
ment quite  sufficient,  from  the  multitude  of  its 
details. 

These  are  views  not  hastily  adopted,  and  there- 
fore not  lightly  to  be  relinquished.  The  Synod 
will  judge  how  far  the  strength  and  capacity  of 
one  individual  are  equal  to  the  exertions  which 
they  demand.  An  allusion  to  personal  situation  is 
unavoidable ;  I  must  say,  that  I  have  felt  myself 
overwhelmed,  by  the  utter  disproportion  between 
their  magnitude  and  my  own  feebleness.  Under 
the  weight,  particularly  of  the  second  department, 
my  strength  has  given  way,  and  left  me  with  a 


424  Ltettcr  to  the  Synod  respecting 

shattered  constitution.  I  regret,  with  health  im- 
paired, in  the  best  of  all  services ;  the  service  in 
which  it  is  my  wish  and  hope  to  yield  up  my 
spirit,  I  regret  that  I  have  done  and  am  able  to 
do  so  little,  and  that  our  little  school  of  the  prophets, 
which  I  have  cherished  with  all  my  faculties  and 
affections,  must  proceed  for  some  time  with  lan- 
guid steps.  The  Synod  will  distinctly  understand, 
that  I  do  not  pretend  to  encounter  the  whole  of 
the  labor  which  the  just  management  of  the  insti- 
tution calls  for;  nor  even  so  much  as  I  formerly 
attempted.  The  experiment  has  been  decisive, 
and  has  demonstrated  that  I  should  only  cut  short 
a  hfe,  probably  but  short  at  best.  Nor  can  I 
undertake  more  than  shall  consist  with  the  atten- 
tions due  to  my  ministerial  charge,  which  can  be 
suspended  no  longer.  They  have  contributed,  and 
are  willing  to  contribute  largely  to  the  public 
purse;  nor  would  it  be  righteous  to  convert  their 
magnanimity  into  an  instrument  of  suffering; 
which  would  not  fail  to  react,  with  a  hurtful  effi- 
cacy, upon  the  seminary  itself.  All  I  can  promise, 
is,  to  take  the  general  superintendence  ;  directing 
the  students  how  to  carry  on  their  pursuits,  and 
leaving  the  rest  to  God,  and  their  own  fidelity,  to 
themselves;  joining  with  this  superintendence, 
instruction  in  the  system  of  theology,  and  hearing 
their  discourses.  At  present,  I  see  nothing  more 
to  be  done.     It  will  perhaps  be  proper,  to  turn  our 


the    Theological  Seminary.  425 

eyes  immediately  to  the  training  up,  from  among 
our  own  youth,  one  who  may  be  equal  to  the  first 
department;  and  there  are  not  wanting  materials 
in  the  seminary,  which  may  very  shortly  be  fitted 
up.  In  all  events,  the  seminary  must  not  stop,  or 
it  dies ;  and  its  resurrection  will  be  extremely  im- 
probable, as  our  church  is  likely  to  die  with  it. 
Most  gladly  would  I  welcome  that  day,  which 
should  permit  me  to  resign  my  place  to  younger 
and  more  healthy  hands,  and  to  see  the  whole 
arrangement,  such  as  we  owe  to  the  kingdom  of 
God.  It  would  help  to  gild  my  evening  horizon, 
and  conduce  to  the  putting  off  my  tabernacle, 
with  satisfaction  and  peace.  The  passing  hour  is 
the  hour  of  action.  The  good  Lord  inspire, 
direct,  and  prosper  it. 

J.  M.  Mason. 
Philadelphia,  May  29th,  1819. 


A    LETTER, 

ORIGINALLY    ADDRESSED    TO   TUB    iMEMBERS 

OF    THE 

ASSOCIATE-REFORMED    CHURCH 

IN   NORTH   AMERICA, 

RELATIVE    TO 

MINISTERS'    SALARIES. 

1810. 


A     LETTER, 

ETC. 


Brethren, — The  ministers  and  elders  in  gene- 
ral sjnod  assembled,  considering  with  much  anxi- 
ety the  state  of  the  churches  committed  to  their 
care  by  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  inquiring  into  the 
means  by  which  his  glory  may  be  most  extensively 
promoted  in  the  advancement  of  those  churches 
in  knowledge,  faith,  and  holiness,  have  judged  it 
proper  to  address  you  respecting  a  duty  which  it 
belongs  to  you  to  perform,  and  the  performance  of 
which  has  the  most  beneficial  influence  on  those 
objects,  while  the  neglect  of  it  is  attended  with 
consequences  of  the  most  injurious  and  ruinous 
tendency. 

The  most  melancholy  bodings  press  on  the 
mind  when  we  behold  a  large  portion  of  the 
talents  which  the  Head  of  the  church  has  be- 
stowed on  her  ministry  for  her  edification,  unoccu- 
pied, languishing,  and  expiring.  This,  brethren, 
is  too  common  an  occurrence  in  our  day.     A  fault 


430  A   Letf.ei'  relative  to 

there  must  be  somewhere ;  perhaps  m  different 
quarters.  But  there  can  be  no  doubt  whatever, 
that  one  great  cause  of  this  evil  is  the  inadequate 
support  afforded  to  ministers  of  the  gospel,  and 
particularly  the  tardy  and  irregular  manner  in 
which  it  is  not  unfreqcntly  furnished.  The  effects 
of  this  ill-judged  parsimony  are  alarming.  When 
the  ministers  of  the  gospel  find  it  impossible  to 
devote  themselves  to  reading,  study,  and  research 
— when,  hke  the  Levites  in  the  days  of  Nehemiah, 
they  have  fled  to  their  fields  to  labor  for  their 
bread,  instead  of  waiting  on  the  service  of  the 
sanctuary — the  inevitable  consequence  is  that 
leanness  and  poverty  must  mark  their  public  min- 
istrations. It  cannot  be  otherwise  ;  people  deceive 
themselves  if  they  imagine  that  their  minister  can 
bring  out  of  his  treasure  things  new  and  old — that 
he  can  be  a  workman  who  needeth  not  to  be 
ashamed,  rightly  dividing  the  word  of  truth — on 
any  other  terms  than  an  habitual  and  vigorous 
application  to  the  study  of  divine  things,  and  that 
too  under  the  favorable  circumstances  of  compe- 
tent talents  and  a  competent  library.  It  is  a  fixed 
law  of  nature's  God  that  a  man,  to  be  an  intelli- 
gent instructor  of  others,  nmst  first  be  a  diligent 
student  himself;  and  no  man  can  be  cither  the 
one  or  the  other,  unless  it  be  the  exclusive  busi- 
ness of  his  life.  The  habit  of  pouring  out  an 
harangue  of  trite  and  indigested  truths,  enlivened 


Ministers    Salaries.  431 

occasionally  perhaps  with  flashes  of  original 
genius,  will  not  long  answer  the  purpose  of  edifi- 
cation to  any  Christian  congregation.  To  train 
up  babes  into  men  and  fathers  in  the  church  of 
God,  and  feed  them  with  strong  meat,  a  minister 
must  be  mighty  in  the  scriptures;  not  merely  to 
cite  them  by  rote,  but  to  interpret  them  according 
to  the  genuine  meaning  of  the  Spirit  of  their 
Author,  and  to  apply  their  doctrines  for  the  refu- 
tation of  existing  errors,  the  support  of  contested 
truth,  and  the  general  regulation  of  Christian  con- 
duct. It  is  not  a  few  hours  snatched  from  secular 
employments  and  cares  that  will  suffice  for  these 
things.  Besides,  the  very  routine  of  ministerial 
service,  in  catechizing,  visiting  the  sick,  attending 
courts  of  judicature,  engrosses  a  large  portion  of 
a  minister's  time.  It  is  demonstrably  certain  that 
no  church  ever  can  be  well  served,  whose  ministry 
is  not  exclusively  devoted  to  their  work. 

We  exhort  you,  therefore,  brethren,  that  nothing 
be  omitted  on  your  part  to  secure  this  appropria- 
tion of  your  minister's  labors.  It  is  neither  just, 
nor  equitable,  nor  possible,  that  you  should  receive 
the  whole  of  their  labors,  unless  you  support  them 
liberally.  In  particular  be  scrupulously  punctual  in 
fulfilling  your  contracts  with  them.  Give  them 
no  reason  to  suspect  you  of  indifference  to  their 
comfort,  or  of  trifling  with  your  obligations.  This 
is  a   matter  of  mere  common  justice.     Not  only 


432  A  Letter  relative  to 

has  a  righteous  God  pronounced  a  wo  to  him  that 
useth  his  neighbor's  service  without  wages,  but  he 
has  made  tbc  instantaneous  pavnient  of  the  debt 
a  matter  of  special  statute,  Thou  shalt  not  oppress 
a  hired  servant — at  his  day  thou  shalt  give  him  his 
hire,  neither  shall  the  sun  go  down  npon  it.  Does 
God  interest  himself  for  the  servants  of  men,  and 
shall  he  not  much  more  interest  himself  i'or  his 
own  servants,  who  serve  him  in  the  gospel  of  his 
Son? 

Want  of  punctuality  in  the  payment  of  niinis- 
ters'  salaries,  is  well  known  to  be  a  grievous  evil, 
too  generally  prevalent,  and  while  it  involves  them 
in  the  necessity  of  violating  their  obligations  and 
promises,  and  thus  exposes  the  profession  to  re- 
proach, it  ultimately  falls  heaviest  on  the  people 
themselves.  The  minister  gets  chagrined  with 
his  people,  and  they  with  him ,  each  justifies  omis- 
sion of  duty  by  alleging  the  neglect  of  the  other. 
Love  cools,  mutual  reproach  ensues,  and  an  im- 
bittered  separation  is  often  the  result.  Brethren, 
let  no  ground  of  complaint  on  this  subject  exist 
for  a  moment.  It  is  unworthy  of  the  Christian 
name ;  it  ought  to  be  beneath  you  as  men.  Let 
it  never  be  heard  that  the  church  of  Christ  keeps 
back  the  bread  of  those  who  feed  her  \\\i\\  the 
bread  of  life. 

But,  brethren,  not  only  be  punctual  in  discharg- 
ing your  contracts,  but  see  that  when  discharged 


Ministers   Salaries.  433 

thej  furnish  an  adequate  means  to  your  ministers 
to  devote  themselves  to  your  service.  You  are 
entitled  to  the  full  benefit  of  all  their  talents,  and 
exact  your  right  with  rigor.  You  ought  not  to  be 
content  with  half  service.  Yet  more  than  half 
service  cannot  be  rendered  when  a  man  is  obliged 
to  devote  his  time  and  cares  to  secular  pursuits.  It 
is  by  no  means  even  wished  that  gospel  ministers 
should  be  rendered  a  rich  body  of  men.  And  if 
the  wish  were  entertained,  a  knowledge  of  the 
principles  which  operate  on  moral  society  would 
render  every  hope  of  realizing  it  chimerical.  A 
ministry  called  and  supported  by  their  congrega- 
tions never  can  be  rich.  The  office  is  too  honor- 
able, and  has  too  many  precious  consolations  and 
glorious  hopes  connected  with  it,  ever  to  be  pro- 
ductive of  wealth.  'J'hese  advantages  are  them- 
selves an  essential  part  of  a  minister's  compensa- 
tion ;  and  for  them  he  gives  up  the  prospects  of 
civil  offices  and  honors,  of  wealth  and  ease.  But 
he  ought  to  be  able  to  live  among  his  people  in  a 
decent  rank,  to  support  a  family,  to  educate  his 
children,  to  pursue  the  studies  becoming  his  pro- 
fession, to  bear  the  expenses  incident  to  his  attend- 
ance on  courts  of  judicature,  and  to  exercise  hos- 
pitality, which  the  Divine  Spirit  has  entered  in  the 
list  of  ministerial  virtues.  Such  a  support  as  will 
gain  these  ends  is  adequate,  and  everything  less  is 
inadequate. 
VOL.  IV.     28 


434  A  Leitcr  relative  to 

It  is  an  institntion  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  that  the 
gospel  ministry  should  be  supported  by  those  whom 
they  serve,  as  much  as  it  was  an  institution  of 
Moses  that  the  Priests  and  Levitcs  should  be  sup- 
ported by  those  whom  they  served.  And  when  he 
sent  forth  his  disciples,  he  commanded  them  to 
make  no  provision  for  their  expenses  on  the  prin- 
ciple that  the  laborer  is  worthy  of  his  hire.  '*  The 
Lord  hath  ordained  (says  Paul)  that  they  which 
preach  the  gospel  should  live  of  the  gospel."  It  is 
the  will  of  God,  that  if  any  work  not,  neither  should 
he  eat;  that  every  man  who  laboreth  should  eat  of 
the  fruit  of  his  labor,  and  that  his  ministry  should 
be  supported  by  their  ministerial  labors.  It  is  on 
the  due  observation  of  his  own  institutions  that  his 
blessing  is  to  be  expected. 

It  is  our  wish  to  recommend  this  subject  to  the 
special  notice  of  our  vacancies.  Let  them  take 
measures  to  be  prepared  for  the  support  of  a  future 
ministry.  A  population  increasing  with  unexam- 
pled rapidity,  creates  a  demand  for  an  increase  of 
gospel  ministers  far  beyond  what  is  generally  con- 
ceived. Many  who  may  feel  an  inclination  to 
devote  themselves  to  the  service  of  God  in  the 
gospel  of  his  Son,  will  be  disheartened  if  tliey  have 
reason  to  beheve  that  only  the  shreds  of  their 
time  and  talents  can  be  occupied  in  that  service. 
On  the  other  hand,  we  do  believe  that  if  a  reason- 
able prospect  is  held  out  that  when  young  men 


Ministers'  Salaries.  435 

shall  have  expended  then*  patrimony  on  their  edu- 
cation, and  shall  have  acquired  those  hterarj  habits 
which  disqualify  for  secular  pursuits,  they  w^ill 
enjoy  a  life  appropriated  to  the  duties  of  their 
selected  station,  it  will  fix  many  a  wavering  reso- 
lution. 

Brethren,  the  glory  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  your  own 
edification,  peace,  and  comfort,  the  stability  and 
extension  of  the  church  of  the  living  God,  are 
deeply  involved  in  the  duties  which  have  been 
recommended  to  you.  We  hope  you  will  duly 
weigh  them ;  and  may  the  Lord  direct  you  in  this, 
and  in  all  matters  relating  to  his  glory  and  your 
own  edification. 


REPORT 


HELATlVn    TO    THK 


COURSE   OF   INSTRUCTIOJNi    AND    DISCIPLINE 

IN 

COLUMBIA    COLLEGE, 

presented  to  the  board  of  trustees, 
Feb.  28,   1810. 


REPORT, 


ETC. 


It  appears  to  your  Committee,  that  the  primary 
principle  of  all  sound  education,  viz.:  the  evolution 
of  faculty  and  the  formation  of  habit,  although 
deplorably  neglected  in  most  seminaries,  ought  to 
be  so  thoroughly  incorporated  in  the  college 
system,  and  even  amalgamated  with  its  very  ele- 
ments, as  to  render  progress  through  the  classes, 
without  due  regard  to  it  by  both  teacher  and 
pupil,  altogether  impracticable.  If  the  plan  be  so 
constructed  as  to  require  ability  and  diligence,  the 
want  of  either  of  these  qualifications  in  the 
teacher,  will  betray  itself  in  the  embarrassment  of 
his  department;  and  the  want  of  either  of  them 
in  the  pupil,  will  be  discovered  by  his  habitual 
failure  in  duties,  which  a  reasonable  share  of  both 
would  have  fitted  him  to.  perform.  Your  Commit- 
tee cannot  for  a  moment  suppose,  that  it  is  the 
intention  of  the  Board  to  try  that  most  fruitless 
and  mischievous  experiment — the   experiment  of 


440         Report  relative  to  Instruction  and 

educating  cither  the  naturally  stupid,  or  the  incu- 
rably idle.  A  volume  could  not  display  the  mag- 
nitude of  the  injuries  inflicted  upoh  letters,  upon 
religion,  upon  morals,  upon  social  prosperity  under 
every  form,  through  the  protection  granted  to  in- 
capacity and  sloth,  by  a  timid  indulgence  or  a 
chimerical  hope.  It  is,  therefore,  indispensable 
that  the  public  should  see,  and  youths  themselves 
feel,  that  future  Students  must  both  have  faculties 
to  cultivate,  and  industry  to  labor  in  their  cultiva- 
tion, or  that  Columbia  College  will  be  no  place  for 
them. 

With  a  sufficient  reserve  for  improvements 
which  the  vigilance  of  skilful  instructors  may 
point  out  in  the  practical  details,  your  Committee 
think,  that  there  ought  to  be  an  undeviating  adhe- 
rence to  the  following  principles,  and  their  general 
application  : 

1.  Exactness.  By  which  is  understood,  the 
learning  perfectly  what  is  professed  to  be  learned 
at  ail. 

This  can  never  be  attained  without  attention  and 
patience — causing  the  subject  to  pass  and  repass, 
in  close  and  frequent  examination,  till  it  become 
familiar,  and  leave  an  indelible  impression  on  the 
mind.  The  exciting  of  sych  a  habit  of  attention, 
as  it  is  the  first  duty,  so  it  is  the  greatest  difficulty, 
and  the  most  important  victory  of  an  able  teacher, 
and  the  cardinal  secret  of  sound  education.     To 


Discipl'uie  in   Columbia   College.  441 

produce  it,  he  must  insist,  peremptorily  and  inex- 
orably, upon  exactness.  His  pupils  will  shrink, 
they  will  solicit,  they  will  complain ;  they  may  feel 
a  momentary  despondence;  but  there  is  an  elas- 
ticity in  youth  which  cannot  be  long  depressed  ; 
and  a  generosity  which  the  firmness  of  authority, 
softened  by  a  well-adapted  soothing,  can  work  up 
to  astonishing  efforts.  This  observation  is  fully 
verified  in  the  history  of  the  great  schools  in  Eng- 
land, where  accuracy  is  never  dispensed  with. 
The  contrary  course  terminates  in  the  worst  effects. 
L'et  a  lad  ''get  along,"  as  the  phrase  is,  "  pretty 
well" — let  his  ideas  on  a  point,  or  his  acquaintance 
with  a  subject,  which  he  is  required  to  master,  be 
only  general  and  confused — ;let  him  conjecture, 
where  he  should  be  certain ;  let  his  preceptor 
almost  put  the  answer  into  his  mouth,  when  he 
hardly  knows  which  way  to  guess — and  he  is 
bribed  to  intellectual  sloth;  the  season  in  which  he 
should  fix  habits  of  discrimination,  as  well  as  of 
prompt  acquisition,  passes  by  ;  and  though  he  bring 
to  the  college  good  native  powers,  he  will  leave  it 
with  a  mind  inert  and  unproductive.  Let  the  idea, 
then,  of  a  medium  between  scholarship  and  no 
scholarship,  be  for  ever  banished.  Let  the  ideas 
of  doing  a  thing,  and  doing  it  well,  be  identified  in 
the  minds  of  both  professor  and  student;  and  let 
the  doing  a  thing  by  halves  be  equivalent  with  not 
doing  it  at  all. 


442        Re/poi't  relative  to  Instruction  and 

2.  Punctuality.  By  which  your  Committee 
mean,  that  the  performance  of  all  exercises  should 
be  limited  to  a  certain  time,  and  then  he  rigorously 
exacted.  The  teacher  will,  of  course,  take  care 
that  they  be  both  reasonable  and  sufficient.  Under 
these  conditions,  nothing  but  a  physical  impossi- 
bility, or  such  a  hindrance  as  cannot  be  at  all 
referred  to  indolence  or  evasion,  should  excuse  for 
non-performance.  Exactness  is  not  to  be  expected 
without  painful  labor.  Labor  will  not  be  regular 
and  ardent  without  the  hard  pressure  of  necessity. 
Let  it  be  ascertained  that  there  is  no  escape ;  that 
the  thing  must  be  done,  and  it  will  be  done.  Such 
an  urgency  upon  the  mind-  disarms  temptations  to 
trifling,  and  often  to  vice ;  keeps  it  bent  on  the 
period  and  the  matter  of  duty;  throws  it  into  strong 
action,  and,  perhaps,  which  is  still  better,  into  a 
sort  of  agony;  hence  spring  the  finest,  the  most 
magnificent  effusions  of  human  genius.  There 
exists  no  more  fatal  enemy  to  diligence,  improve- 
ment, and  excellence,  than  the  persuasion  that 
"  there  is  time  enough." 

3.  Progression.  By  which  your  Committee 
would  express  a  gradation  of  exercises,  from  easier 
and  shorter,  to  more  difficult  and  ample,  according 
to  the  power  of  performance. 

During  the  whole  course  of  education  the  youth- 
ful faculties  are  to  be  kept  upon  the  stretch.  As 
they  dcvelope  themselves  and  gain  strength,  they 


Discipline  in   Columbia   College.         443 

are  to  be  employed  in  work  demanding  severer 
tension,  and  more  dauntless  vigor.  As  in  mathe- 
matical science,  every  preceding  proposition  is  an 
instrument  in  the  demonstration  of  those  which 
follow  ;  so,  in  all  the  branches  of  education,  every- 
thing which,  before  being  learned,  is  an  end,  be- 
comes, when  learned,  a  means,  and  is  to  be  applied, 
in  its  turn,  to  the  remoter  and  abstruser  investiga- 
tions. On  no  account,  therefore,  ought  students 
in  the  more  advanced  classes  to  spend  their  time 
in  those  elementary  studies  which  occupy  begin- 
ners. It  is  the  impoverishment  of  intellect — it  is 
a  waste  of  life — it  never  can  be  necessarv,  unless 
the  necessity  be  created  by  some  mismanagement 
in  the  system. 

In  conformity  with  these  general  principles,  it  is 
the  conviction  of  your  Committee,  that  the  hours 
spent  by  the  classes  with  the  professors,  should  be 
chiefly  devoted  to  examination.  It  is  the  duty  of 
th&  professor  to  use  his  information,  not  so  much 
for  the  purpose  of  displaying  it  before  his  pupils, 
as  to  direct  and  assist  them  in  getting  information 
for  themselves — to  employ  his  sagacity  and  address 
in  eliciting  their  faculties,  and  inuring  them  to  the 
habit  of  thinking.  The  experience  of  different 
countries  has  shown,  that  regular  attendance  upon 
lectures,  and  profound  admiration  of  the  lecturer, 
are  perfectly  compatible  with  ignorance,  with  lazi- 
ness, and  with  stupidity.      If^as  Dr.  Goldsmith  ob- 


444        Iic])ort  relative  to  Instruction  and 

serves,  there  are  many  authors  who  "write  through 
a  vokimc  without  thinking  through  a  page,"  there 
are  also  innumerable  instances  of  youth  going 
through  a  four  years'  course,  and,  as  it  is  absurdly 
styled,  "  fmishing  their  education,"  without  having 
tlieir  powers,  even  for  once,  put  fairly  to  the  test. 

In  acting  upon  the  plans  suggested  by  your 
Committee,  the  instructions  of  the  professors  should 
be  adjusted  to  each  other,  so  far  as  the  nature  of 
their  respective  branches  shall  permit.  This  can 
be  done  to  great  extent  and  advantage  by  the  pro- 
fessor of  rhetoric  and  belles  lettres,  and  the  profes- 
sor of  languages.  The  classical,  which  are  the 
principal  studies  in  both  our  own  and  the  learned 
tongues,  are  natural  allies  and  easily  associated. 
The  professor  of  languages  should  point  out,  eluci- 
date, and  endeavor  to  make  his  pupils  undej-stand^ 
those  unrivalled  specimens  of  taste,  of  eloquence, 
and  of  wisdom,  with  which  the  ancient  writers 
abound  ;  and  the  professor  of  rhetoric  and  belles 
lettres  should  refer  for  examples  to  those  writers 
particularly  who  arc  studied  under  the  professor  of 
languages,  comparing  them  with  each  other,  with 
the  best  writers  in  our  own  language,  and  especially 
with  the  inspired  writings.     To  exemplify  : 

When  there  occurs  in  the  lesson  of  the  day  a 
splendid  description,  the  student  must  be  taught  to 
mark  the  selection  of  circumstances — the  order  of 


Discipline  in   Columbia   College.         445 

arrangement — the  grouping  of  images — the  choice 
of  words. 

When  there  occurs  a  fine  and  spirited  criticism, 
as  in  every  page  of  Longinus,  to  thoroughly  com- 
pr^iend  his  sense,  and  (o  trace  the  correspondence 
between  his  principles  and  his  illustrations. 

When  there  occurs  an  instance  of  able  disqui- 
sition, as  in  the  orations  of  Demosthenes,  the  Stu- 
dent should  be  obliged  not  only  to  translate  his 
words,  but  to  analyze  his  argument.  The  same 
principles,  properly  modified,  should  pervade  the 
whole  course. 

In  this  manner  we  shall  cultivate  faculty ;  and 
our  College  will  send  forth  taste,  eloquence,  and 
strong  reasoning  powers.  She  w^ill  pour  out  a 
stream  of  matured  intellect,  instead  of  trifling,  as 
the  American  colleges  have  been  too  much  accus- 
tomed to  do,  by  ringing  the  changes  upon  the 
alphabet  and  syllables  of  their  classical  horn-book. 

Your  Committee  are  sensible  that  this  method 
is  not  calculated  to  impart  immediate  eclat  to  the 
professors  ;  but  they  are  equally  sensible  that  it  will 
render  the  College  incomparably  more  useful  than 
she  has  ever  been  ;  and  that  it  will  eventually  shed 
lustre  upon  both  those  who  teach  and  those  who 
learn. 

They  are  also  sensible,  that  it  requires  no  ordi- 
nary degree  of  understanding,  of  dignity,  of  taste, 
of  diligent  and  patient  labor  in  the  Professors ;  but 


446        Report  relative  to  Instruction  and 

they  judge  also,  that  uo  exertion  is  too  arduous, 
and  no  sacrifice  too  costly,  to  insure  the  highest 
display  of  these  professional  virtues, 
'  Your  Committee  consider  the  course  of  instruc- 
tion, according  to  the  preceding  views,  to  b^,  in 
reality,  the  disci^iline  of  the  College ;  but  they 
feel  ihe  necessity  of  some  strong  motives  to  en- 
force compliance  on  the  part  of  the  Students. 
These  motives  they  conceive  to  be  all  comprised 
in  that  broad  principle — appeal  to  a  sense  of  char- 
acter. 

For  giving  to  this  appeal  its  just  influence,  they 
are  of  opinion  that  the  system  of  examination 
slioidd  he  improved,  and  should  be  accompanied 
with  certain  coercions  which  operate  upon  effort 
through  the  imagination. 

The  improvement  which  they  would  suggest, 
consists  chiefly  in  rendering  the  examinations, 
especially  the  one  which  closes  an  academical 
year,  most  solemn  and  splendid ;  so  that  the  figure 
which  a  youth  makes  shall  be  exhibited,  and  the 
rank  which  he  deserves  shall  be  proclaimed,  under 
circumstances  the  most  impressive  and  interesting 
to  his  mind.  To  effect  this  end,  it  is  requisite 
that  he  and  not  his  Preceptor,  draw  the  attention 
of  tlie  assembly — that  he  stand  or  fall,  absolutely 
upon  his  own  merits ;  and,  without  impairing  the 
tenderness  proper  toward  an  agitated,  which  is  fre- 
quently the  noblest  spirit,  that  both  the  aid  and  the 


Discipline  in   Columbia   College.  447 

reproofs  common  and  needful  in  the  stated  class 
be  entirely  withdrawn.  The  bare  expectation  of 
such  an  analysis  of  his  capacity  and  acquirement, 
will  more  powerfully  affect  him,  and  be  a  more 
regular  and  efficient  stimulus,  than  all  the  fines 
which  have  ever  been  incurred.  But  it  will  be 
necessary  to  go  a  step  further,  and  deepen  the 
impressions  to  be  thus  produced,  by  adequate 
rewai'ds  diid  punishments.     These  maybe, 

] .  Promotion  from  one  class  to  another.  The 
rule  to  be,  that  no  Student  shall,  upon  any  consid- 
eration, be  allowed  to  advance  from  a  lower  to  a 
higher  class,  without  being  master  of  the  previous 
studies. 

Your  Committee  hold  this  rule  to  be  of  un- 
speakable moment.  The  practice  of  carrying 
boys  along,  year  after  year,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
without  regard  to  their  improvement,  or  with  so 
slight  a  regard  to  it,  as  proves  in  fact  to  be  merely 
nominal,  is  worse  than  trifling.  It  is  the  death- 
blow to  solid  education,  and  the  destruction  of 
unnumbered  youth.  Nothing  but  ignorance,  or 
disregard  of  the  springs  of  human  action,  will 
engender  or  will  embrace  the  notion,  that  a  just 
ardor  and  emulation  can  be  excited  or  maintained, 
when  the  idler  and  the  blockhead  are  linked  with 
the  lad  of  industry  and  talent,  during  a  four  year's 
probation,  and  at  the  end  of  it,  are  admitted  alike 
to  academical  honors.     To  produce  and  preserve 


448         Report  relative  to  Instruction  and 

such  ardor  and  emulation,  a  strong  distinction 
must  be  instituted  and  kept  up  between  those 
Students  who  acquit  themselves  well,  and  those 
who  acquit  themselves  ill.  The  cause  of  defi- 
ciency (which  does  not  include  the  effect  of 
perturbation  arising  from  awe  and  anxiety)  is,  in 
the  judgment  of  your  Committee,  perfectly  imma- 
terial. The  object  of  the  College  is  to  educate. 
Studies  which  precede,  are  only  an  introduction 
to  studies  which  follow.  Her  course  must  be 
conducted  on  the  assumption  that  they  are  mas- 
tered in  their  place.  Whether  it  be  from  incapa- 
city, from  negligence,  from  dislike,  from  absence, 
from  sickness,  the  want  of  preliminary  acquisition 
must  effectually  preclude  access  to  a  higher  class. 
Even  the  case  which  most  excites  commiseration 
and  pleads  for  indulgence,  viz.  deficiency  occa- 
sioned by  sickness,  should  have  no  influence  upon 
the  rule  or  upon  its  execution.  The  general  fact 
is  the  same;  and  a  boy's  unfitness  is  not  the  less 
unfit  because  it  was  his  misfortune  to  have  been 
sick.  If  the  spirit  of  the  coarse  be  cherished,  he 
cannot  get  on  in  a  superior  class  without  a  pres- 
sure which,  instead  of  onl}  urging  him,  may  crush 
him  altosether.  It  would  be  absurd  tenderness  to 
break  him  down  with  mental  hibor,  because  he 
has  already  been  broken  down  by  the  hand  of 
disease  ;  not  to  insist  that  the  exception  itself  is 
Uablc    to   extensive   abuse.     The  Board   will  de- 


Discipline  in  Columbia  College.         449 

mand  no  proof  that  it  is  a  very  possible  thing  for  a 
lad  to  get  sick  in  order  to  save  his  reputation. 
Advancement,  therefore,  from  one  class  to  another, 
must  be,  in  itself,  an  argument  and  a  reward  of 
merit.  This  association,  in  the  minds  of  both  the 
pupil  and  the  public,  appears  to  your  Committee 
to  be  of  essential  moment,  insomuch  as,  without  it, 
the  force  of  other  inducements  will  be  impaired; 
and,  if  the  rule  which  is  to  create  it  be  broken 
through,  the  College  will  inevitably  relapse.  The 
chief  difficulty  may  be  anticipated  in  the  end  of 
the  first,  or  Freshmen  year.  But  this  will  probably 
be  far  greater  in  prospect  than  in  experience.  For 
if  the  statute  respecting  admission  be  faithfully 
enforced,  such  a  mass  of  natural  incompetency  will 
be  excluded,  as  to  leave  comparatively  but  little 
further  obstruction  which  shall  not  arise  from  neg- 
ligence. And  the  examination  at  the  expiration 
of  the  first  half  year,  will  be  an  admonition  which 
shall  render  the  offender  without  excuse. 

As  an  appendage  to  this  rule,  your  Committee 
would  observe,  that  a  practice,  of  which  an  exam- 
ple is  stated  in  the  Report  of  the  Faculty  of  Arts  to 
this  Board  on  the  14th  instant,  viz.  the  allowing 
boys  to  attend  and  study  along  with  a  class  they 
were  unfit  to  enter,  with  a  view  of  quahfying  them- 
selves for  entrance  at  a  subsequent  examination, 
must   be  absolutely  interdicted.      The  impropriety 

is  so  glaring,  that  your  Committee  are  surprised  it 
VOL.  IV.     29 


450         Report  relative  to  Instruction,  Sfc. 

ever  should  have  existed.  For  it  is  self-evident, 
that,  if  these  extra-students  can  go  along  with  the 
class,  they  w^ere  not  unfit  for  entrance  ;  and  if  they 
were  unfit  for  entrance,  they  cannot  go  along  vs^ith 
the  class.  Either,  then,  the  studies  of  the  class 
must  be  lowered  to  them,  or  they  must  be  put  to 
studies  to  which,  by  the  very  terms  of  the  represen- 
tation, they  are  unequal.  In  the  one  case  they  are 
sacrificed  to  the  class — in  the  other,  which  is  still 
worse,  the  class  is  sacrificed  to  them ;  and  if  this 
double  classification  be  permitted,  a  principle  is 
sanctioned  which  will  speedily  evade  every  possi- 
ble precaution. 

The  principle  to  be  chiefly  regarded  in  all 
criminal  jurisprudence,  is  less  the  severity  than  the 
certainty  of  punishment.  A  Student  should  there- 
fore know,  that  dispensation  with  academical  law, 
or  connivance  at  escape  from  merited  censure,  are 
out  of  the  question. 


AN 


A  D  D  E  E  S  S 


DELIVERED    AT    THB 


ORGANIZATION    OF    THE    FACULTY 

or 

DICKINSON    COLLEGE, 

January  15,  1822. 


ADDRESS 


ETC. 


Gentlemen  of  the  Trustees,  and  respected  Auditors: 

I  ADDRESS  you  this  day  under  circumstances  of 
peculiar  delicacy  and  difficulty.  Dickinson  Col- 
lege, which  had  long  languished,  and  at  last 
expired,  is  about  being  revived  again.  It  comports 
with  neither  my  inclination  nor  design,  to  institute 
insidious  inquiries  into  the  causes  of  its  former 
failure.  With  great  and  good  men  you  were 
favored  in  more  auspicious  times.  For  depth  of 
learning,  for  accuracy  of  information,  for  splendor 
of  wit,  the  name  of  Dr.  Nesbitt  will  long  be 
remembered  ;  and  the  memory  of  his  successors, 
who  followed  him,  although  it  must  be  confessed, 
hand  imssibus  cequis,  will  be  reverenced  and 
revered,  while  piety  is  honored  in  Carlisle. 

Many  causes  conspire  to  elevate  and  depress 
seminaries  of  learning,  without  great  personal 
merit  on  the  one  hand,  or  personal  demerit  on  the 
other.    Over  the  vicissitudes  which  have  happened 


454     Addj-ess  delivered  at  the  Organization 

to  this  one,  it  would  answer  no  good  purpose  to 
dwell ;  and  it  would  savor  too  much  of  a  vanity, 
which  would  but  ill  become  those  who  arc  now 
entrusted  with  its  management,  to  make  boastful 
professions,  and  encourage  high  expectations  of  its 
future  progress.  Their  labors  have  already  been 
too  highly  appreciated,  their  powers  have,  perhaps, 
been  too  much  applauded.  The  country  has  been 
taught  to  expect  more  from  them  than  their  talents 
and  industry  shall  probably  be  found  to  justify  ;  and 
they  will  have  reason  to  think  themselves  happy 
above  the  common  condition  of  men  in  their  situ- 
ation, if  they  shall  not  altogether  disappoint  the 
public  anticipation. 

The  revival  of  a  decayed  institution  being 
much  more  difficult  than  the  establishment  of  a 
new  one,  as  the  resurrection  of  a  dead  body  is 
more  arduous,  and  certainly  more  uncommon,  than 
the  production  of  a  living  one;  and  as  all  the 
success,  humanly  speaking,  will  depend  upon  the 
plan  to  be  pursued,  it  may  be  due  to  the  occasion 
to  say  a  few  words  on  a  subject,  on  which  every 
body  talks  confidently,  and  few  think  correctly, 
while  the  million  prate  without  thinking  at  all, — 
the  subject  of  education.  Education,  if  I  mistake 
not,  contemplates  three  objects,  the  evolution  of 
faculty,  the  formation  of  liahils,  and  the  cultiva- 
tion of  manners. 

I.     The    evolution  of  faculty. — This    of  course 


of  the  Faculty  of  Dickinson  College.     Abb 

implies  that  there  is  faculty  to  be  evoh^cd.  So, 
that  hke  all  created  power,  edacation  must  have 
its  materials  from  the  hand  of  the  Creator.  Itself 
creates  nothing.  It  only  brings  out  quahties  which 
pre-existed.  It  is  a  manufacture,  and,  like  all 
other  manufactures,  must  have  the  raw  material  to 
work  upon,  or  it  can  do  nothing.  Many  well 
meaning  people  imagine  that  it  is  in  the  power  of 
teachers  to  do  everything;  and  hard  measure  do 
they  give  them  for  not  working  miracles — for  not 
converting  a  booby  into  a  lad  of  genius.  My 
frieiids,  you  must  not  expect  that  we  shall  do  what 
the  Almighty  God  has  not  done.  That  we  shall 
furnish  brains  where  our  pupils  naturally  are  with- 
out them.  Ex  nihilo,  niJiil  Jit ;  whatever  be  the 
zeal  and  efforts  of  the  instructor.  If  you  look  for 
bricks,  your  boys  must  bring  the  strau'.  "  Pray, 
sir,"  said  a  gentleman  to  another,  who  complained 
that  his  sons,  who  were  indeed  not  of  the  race 
and  lineage  of  Solomon,  had  not  the  advantage 
of  (arly  education,  "Pray,  sir,  why  cannot  you 
give  to  those  bricks,"  pointing  to  an  opposite 
pile,  'the  hardness  and  polish  of  marble?"  "Be- 
cause they  are  bricks,  and  work  at  them  for  ever, 
they  will  be  bricks  still."  Let  a  boy  make  the 
tour  of  all  the  Colleges  in  the  land  or  out  of  it,  if 
nature  made  him  a  dunce,  a  dunce  he  will  remain, 
with  the  only  difference  of  exchanging  his  igno- 
rance for  impertinence.     I  know  no  more   thank- 


456     Addi-ess  delwered  at  the  Organization 

less  and  desperate  experiment,  than  an  attempt 
to  educate  the  naturally  stupid.  It  may  well 
enough  consort  with  the  vocation  of  a  pedant, 
who,  provided  he  has  a  head  to  hammer  upon,  is 
well  enough  satisfied ;  but  it  is  grief,  and  misery, 
and  purgatory,  to  a  man  of  any  sense  or  feeling. 
Persons  with  uncouth  and  rugged  minds  would  be 
employed  far  better  in  following  the  plough,  drawn 
by  their  more  intelligent  horses,  than  in  making 
themselves  ridiculous  by  endeavoring  to  obtain  a 
liberal  education.  At  the  same  time  it  must  be 
acknowledged  that  the  seeds  of  natural  ability  are 
pretty  equally  distributed,  and  that  fine  minds  are 
often  lost  for  want  of  culture. 

"  Full  many  a  gem,  of  purest  ray  serene. 

The  darJc,  unfathomed  caves  of  ocean  hear , 
Full  many  a  flower  is  horn  to  blush  unseen, 
And  u'astc  its  sweetness  on  the  desert  air." 

Yes,  among  these  lads,  who  know  no  other  use 
for  their  limbs  than  felling  the  forests,  and  no  other 
for  their  activity  of  mind  and  body  than  catching 
the  wild  turkey,  the  pheasant,  or  the  deer,  there 
are  some  master  spirits  who  need  nothing  but  cul- 
tivation to  bring  them  forth  into  their  peculiar 
action — who  contain  the  rudiments  of  the  states- 
man's skill  and  the  patriot's  fire,  and  may,  accord- 
ing to  their  places,  become  the  Washingtons,  the 
Ilamiltons,   and    the    Franklins    of    future    days. 


of  the  Facility  of  Dickinson  College.     457 

There  are  among  these  simple  rustics  men  who,  in 
former  ages  would  have 

'*  Wielded  at  will  the  fierce  democracy, 
And  fulniined  over  Greece  to  Macedon, 
And  Artaxerxes'  throne." 

O  could  we  but  light  up  these  chosen  spirits, 
these  minds  which  can  balance  themselves,  and 
millions  of  other  men!  Could  Dickinson  present, 
among  her  sons,  an  array  hostile,  terrible,  destruc- 
tive, to  all  the  legions  of  infidelity  and  misrule,  she 
might  well  hold  up  her  head  amid  the  seminaries 
of  the  nation,  and  receive  their  homage,  not  less 
freely  granted  than  richly  merited. 

But  to  return  to  the  practical  point.  Faculty  is 
not  to  be  evolved  without  painful  effort. 

With  those  young  men  who  go  to  a  place  of 
education  as  the  other  idlers  frequent  a  watering 
place  where  they  may  saunter  away  their  time  out 
of  their  parents'  observation,  and  have  nothing  to 
do  but  amuse  themselves  and  dash  away  as  fine 
fellows,  we  wish  and  hope  to  have  no  acquaintance. 
The  College  ought  to  be,  and  by  God's  assistance 
shall  be,  a  place  of  ivork.  Let  no  idlers,  no  mimic- 
ries, no  mockeries  of  students  disgrace  our  classes 
or  pollute  our  walls.  Should  such  unhappily  creep 
in,  we  trust  that  in  a  very  short  time  we  shall  show 
them  out.  Our  great  business  is  to  keep  the  youth- 
ful mind  under  a  pretty  constant  but  not  an  unrea- 


458     Address  delivered  at  the  Organization 

son  able  pressure — such  a  pressure  as  will  insure 
tolerable  accuracy.  Let  a  lad  "  get  along,"  as  the 
phrase  is,  "  pretty  well" — let  his  ideas  on  a  subject 
"  which  he  is  required  to  master  be  only  general 
-and  confused — let  his  preceptor  almost  put  the  an- 
swer into  his  mouth  when  he  hardly  knows  which 
way  to  guess — and  he  is  bribed  to  intellectual  sloth. 
The  season  in  which  he  should  fix  habits  of  dis- 
crimination, as  well  as  of  prompt  acquisition,  passes 
by,  and  though  he  bring  to  the  College  good 
native  powers,  he  will  leave  it  with  a  mind  inert 
and  unproductive.  The  idea,  then,  of  a  medium 
between  scholarship  and  no  scholarship  must  be  for 
ever  banished.  The  ideas  of  doing  a  thing  and 
doing  it  icell,  must  be  identified  in  the  minds  of 
both  teacher  and  pupil,  and  the  idea  of  doing  a 
thing  by  halves  be  equivalent  with  that  of  not  doing 
it  at  all. 

It  is  manifest  that,  upon  such  a  plan,  the  pupil 
must,  after  all,  be  in  a  great  degree  his  own  in- 
structor, and  if  he  will  not  act  upon  this  plan,  all 
the  power  in  creation  cannot  educate  him.  It  is 
ours  to  watch,  to  guide,  to  direct  him,  to  keep  him 
from  wasting  the  talents  which  God  has  given  him. 
Further  than  this  we  cannot  go.  The  main  con- 
cern is  still  in  his  own  hand.  A  habit  of  close 
application,  which  can  be  acquired  only  by  his  own 
industry,  is  the  most  precious  fruit  of  a  solid  educa- 
tion.     The  quantity  which  a  young  man  learns  at 


of  the  Faculty  of  Dickinson  College.     459 

College  is  next  to  nothing  in  the  business  of  hfe. 
Let  him  get  the  habit  of  close  attention,  of  painful 
and  persevering  appHcation,  and  I  will  freely  com- 
pound for  the  loss  of  all  his  College  learning ;  and 
be  little  concerned  if  I  even  knew  that  he  should 
make  no  use  of  it  during  the  rest  of  his  life. 

Yet  to  this  habit  of  painful  and  steady  attention, 
a  skillful  instructor  can  contribute  much.  A  great 
deal  can  be  done  by  enforcing  punctuality.  By 
which  I  mean  "that  the  performance  of  all  exercises 
should  be  limited  to  a  certain  time  both  sufficient 
and  reasonable,  and  then  be  rigorously  exacted. 
His  pupils  will  shrink,  they  will  solicit,  they  will 
complain.  They  may  feel  a  momentary  de- 
spondence ;  but  there  is  in  youth  an  elasticity 
which  cannot  be  long  depressed,  and  a  generosity 
which  the  firmness  of  authority,  tempered  by  a 
well-adapted  soothing,  can  work  up  to  astonishing 
efforts.  This  is,  therefore,  a  point  upon  no  con- 
sideration to  be  given  up.  Labor  will  not  be 
regular  and  ardent  without  the  hard  pressure 
of  necessit}'.  Let  it  be  ascertained  that  there  is 
no  escape — that  the  thing  must  be  done,  and  it 
will  be  done.  Such  an-  urgency  upon  the  mind 
disarms  temptations  to  trifling,  and  often  to  vice, 
keeps  it  bent  on  the  matter  and  the  period  of  duty, 
throws  it  into  a  strong  action,' and  perhaps,  which 
is  still  better,  into  a  sort  of  agony.  Hence  spring 
the  finest  and  most  magnificent  etTusions  of  human 


460     Address  delivered  at  the  Organization 

genius.  There  exists  no  more  fatal  enemy  to  dili- 
gence, improvement,  and  excellence,  than  the  no- 
tion that  there  is  time  enough." 

II.  I  have  said  that  education  contemplates  the 
formation  of  haVit.  By  this  I  understand  not 
merely  intellectual  habits,  but  those  which  entwine 
themselves  with  the  moral  character,  and  exert  an 
influence  upon  all  the  dignity  and  happiness  of 
future  life. 

It  is  no  small  libel  upon  some  seminaries,  and 
not  the  less  so  for  being  true,  that  youth  there  learn 
so  many  things  which  they  should  not  learn,  and 
that  all  faults  are  venial  if  the  understanding  be 
well  disciplined.  I  cannot  conceive  any  greater 
opprobrium  upon  a  seminary  than  that  a  student 
should  become  vicious,  as  in  general  intellect  he 
becomes  enlightened.  To  have  the  places  of  edu- 
cation mere  reservoirs  of  immorality,  what  can  be 
more  shocking  ?  To  have  them,  on  the  contrary, 
sources  of  pure,  refined,  and  exalted  virtue,  what  can 
more  contribute  to  the  happiness  of  parents,  to  the 
peace  of  the  surrounding  neighborhood,  to  the  glory 
of  the  land  \  On  this,  which  is  a  large  theme,  I 
shall  briefly  advert  to  two.habits,  which,  though  of 
apparently  minor  importance,  mingle  themselves 
with  all  the  duties  and  occasions  of  life. 

1.  Sudordination  to  authority.  T  regret  to  say, 
that  in  all  the  departments  of  society,  from  the  pa- 
rental control  to  that  of  the  government,  this  is  held 


of  the  Faculty  of  Dickinson  College.     4G1 

by  onr  youth  in  too  little  esteem.  Their  ambition, 
very  early  evinced,  is  to  be  manly  and  to  be  free. 
They  are  therefore,  prone  to  spurn  restraint,  and 
to  take  their  own  way  ;  esteeming  that  to  be  a  no- 
ble spirit  which  acknowledges  no  superior ;  and 
that  to  be  true  liberty  which  follows  its  own  plea- 
sures. That  the  prevalence  of  such  a  temper 
should  produce  wide-spreading  mischief  is  mani- 
fest to  every  sound  thinker ;  and  often  to  the  youth 
themselves,  when  it  is  too  late  to  undo  the  conse- 
quences. In  the  meantime  it  militates  alike  against 
the  very  constitution  of  our  nature — against  the 
most  express  commandments  of  God,  and  against 
those  principles  of  action  which,  at  all  times  and 
in  every  place,  but,  from  peculiar  causes,  in  the 
present  day  and  in  our  own  countrj-,  are  necessary 
to  the  order  of  society  and  the  happiness  of  indi- 
viduals. 

It  militates  against  the  very  constitution  of  our 
nature.  It  is  not  for  nothing;  it  is  for  benign 
and  wise  purpose,  that  our  Creator  has  determined 
we  should  come  into  the  world  utterly  feeble  and 
helpless.  The  first  friend  whom  the  infant  recog- 
nizes is  his  mother.  To  her  tenderness,  her  watch- 
fulness, her  patience,  he  probably  owes  more  than 
to  the  kindness  of  any  of  his  species.  Under  her 
gentle  auspices,  the  first  buddings  of  his  rational 
nature  begin  to  unfold.  To  her  is  allotted  the  de- 
lightful province  of  teaching  "  the  young  idea  iiow 


462     Address  delivered  at  the  Organization 


^' 


to  shoot" — of  moulding  the  heart — of  cherishing  all 
its  amiable  and  generous  affections — of  storing  it 
with  the  "sweet  charities  of  hfe" — of  leading  it  in 
fihai  piety  to  God  the  Sovereign  good.  The  rudi- 
ments of  many  a  character,  distinguished  for  virtues 
honored  both  on  earth  and.  in  heaven,  can  be 
traced  to  the  nursery  and  the  lap.  O  most  charming 
employment !  rich  compensation  for  the  seclusion, 
the  anxieties,  the  pains,  to  which  the  sex  is  destined! 
O  most  refreshing  abatement  of  the  sorrows  of  that 
cup  which  has  been  assigned  to  woman  for  her 
priority  in  transgression ! 

Then  comes  the  father,  appointed  by  the  divine 
mandate  to  be  the  head  of  the  domestic  estab- 
lishment. His  family  is  his  kingdom;  his  children 
are  his  subjects;  and  he  is  the  governor  in  his 
own  house.  These  young  subjects  are  submitted 
to  his  rule;  he  knows  best,  at  least  better  than 
they,  what  is  for  their  good.  His  authority  is  to 
be  their  reason  for  many,  for  most  things,  while 
they  are  quite  young.  And  should  they  prove 
refractory,  his  superior  physical  force  can,  and 
should,  constrain  their  submission.  If,  therefore, 
hotli  parents  perform  their  duty,  their  children, 
notwithstanding  the  dreadful  drawback  of  human 
depravity,  will  generally  grow  up  trained  to  obe- 
dience. Their  habits  will  be  incorporated  into 
their  character.  They  cannot  become  rude  and 
disorderly  without  violating  all  the  sense  of  deco- 


of  the  Fdculty  of  Dickinson  College.      463 

ram  and  gratitude ;  and  breaking  through,  besides 
all  their  early  habits.  The  common  sense  of 
mankind  is  in  accordance  with  all  this.  A  rough, 
surly,  ungovernable,  boy,  there  is  nothing  more 
common  than  to  call  an  unnatural  child.  Thus 
are  children,  by  ihe  very  condition  of  their  being, 
made  fit  subjects  for  order,  which  is  "Heaven's  first 
law."  And  he  who  requites  his  parents'  care  by 
vicious  courses ;  by  giving  himself  up  to  the  ser- 
vice of  iniquity  which  is  the  essential  disorder^ 
though  he  should  be  one  of  the  "fairest  spirits" 
that  ever  "lost  heaven,"  and  should  be  plausible 
and  seducing  as  Belial  himself,  deserves  no  other 
appellation  than  that  of  a  monster.  The  spirit  of 
insubordination,  moreover,  militates  against  the 
most  express  commands  of  God  himself 

His  commandments  are  in  unison  with  the  con- 
stitution of  his  world.  From  the  highest  to  the 
lowest,  their  tendency  is  to  promote'  order.  His 
very  controversy  with  sin  and  sinners  turns  exactly 
upon  this  point,  whether  He  shall  govern  his  own 
creation,  or  they  shall  do  as  they  please.  And, 
therefore,  there  is  no  regulation  of  human  conduct 
prescribed  with  more  peremptoriness,  and  under 
greater  variety  of  forms,  than  obedience  to  law. 
This  broad  injunction  covers  the  whole  ground 
of  our  social  relations — "  Children,  obey  your  pa- 
rents in  all  things,  for  this  is  well-pleasing  to  the 
Lord."     The    admonition    is    addressed    to   them 


464     Address  delivered  at  the  Organization 

when  they  are  of  years  to  reflect  and  succcssfally 
to  resist.  No  thanks  to  you,  young  people,  if  you 
obey  when  you  cannot,  and  dare  not,  disobey. 
Everlasting  reproach  be  to  your  parents  if  they 
permit  such  early  insubordination.  But  when  you 
are  grown  to  have  some  understanding  of  your 
own — when  your  physical  strength  enables  you  to 
defy  both  mother  and  father,  then  the  voice  from 
the  excellent  glory  speaks  unto  you  :  "  My  son, 
receive  the  instruction  of  your  father,"  and  adds, 
with  unutterable  tenderness,  "  despise  not  thy  mo- 
ther ivhen  she  is  okV'  So  also  with  respect  to 
servants  :  "  Servants  be  obedient  to  your  masters 
according  to  the  flesh."  So  hkewise  with  respect 
to  political  government :  "  Put  them  in  mind  to 
obey  magistrates.  Submit  yourselves  to  every  ordi- 
nance of  man  for  the  Lord's  sake,  whether  it  be  to 
the  king  as  supreme,  or  to  governors,  as  unto  those 
that  are  sent  by  him  for  the  punishment  of  evil 
doers,  and  for  the  praise  of  them  that  do  well." 

A  young  man,  therefore,  who  cherishes  a  temper 
of  disobedience  towards  his  superiors,  plants  him- 
self down  in  a  path  where  the  machinery,  esta- 
blished by  his  Maker,  must  go,  and  will  infallibly 
crush  him  to  atoms.  Once  more.  This  spirit  of 
insubordination  militates  against  those  principles  of 
action  which  at  all  times  and  in  every  place,  but 
especially  in  our  own  day  and  country,  are  necessary 
to  the  peace  of  society  and  to  the  happiness  of 


of  the  Faculty  of  Dickinson  College.      465 

individuals,  I  shall  waive  the  first  part  of  this 
proposition  for  the  sake  of  the  second. 

We  live  in  a  republican  country.  Its  means  of 
keeping  up  good  government  are  entirely  moral. 
The  government  of  force  it  rejects,  as  fit  only  for 
slaves.  What,  then,  shall  become  of  the  public 
order,  if  our  youth,  who  are  shortly  to  be  the 
governors,  cherish  a  spirit  of  disorder?  What  of 
repubhcan  government,  and  of  our  country,  which 
has  been  called  "  the  world's  last  hope  V  Wherein 
shall  we  be  able  to  compare  with  the  governments 
of  Europe,  which  we  term  despotic,  if  we  ourselves 
exhibit  a  spirit  of  misrule,  and  hasten,  by  our  own 
imprudence,  the  approach  of  that  day  when  the 
coercion  of  the  bayonet  shall  be  necessary  to  bring 
us  to  our  senses  ? 

2.  There  is  another  habit  of  immense  value  in 

all  the  concerns  of  life.     I  mean  the  proper  em- 
* 

ployment  and  distribution  of  time.     Of  time,  more 

precious  than  rubies,  and  of  which,  of  all  the  three 
score  and  ten  years  which  form  the  hmit  of  by  far 
the  greater  proportion  of  men  upon  earth,  only  the 
present  moment  is  our  own.  Young  people  always 
calculate  upon  futurity,  and  almost  always  neglect 
the  passing  hour ;  that  is,  they  speculate  upon  that 
in  which  they  have  no  interest,  and  squander  away 
that  in  which  they  have.  It  would  terrify  men  be- 
yond the  power  of  expression,  would  they  reahze 
that  the  "breath  in  their  nostrils"  is  all  that  they 

VOL.  IV.         30 


466     Adchess  delivered  at  the  Organization 

can  claim !  that  the  present  pulsation  of  their  hearts 
gives  them  no  assurance  that  they  shall  have  a 
pulsation  more!  Yet  upon  this  brittle,  uncertain 
tenure  hangs  their  computation  for  both  w^orlds ! 
How  immense,  then,  the  importance  of  learning  to 
make  the  most  of  what  they  have  !  How  can 
that  be  learned  more  effectually  than  by  having  the 
intervals  of  time  filled  up;  and  a  constant  pressure 
upon  the  mind  to  make  every  one  of  them  tell. 
Idleness  is  universally  the  parent  of  vice;  and  it  is 
one  of  the  most  fruitful  sources  of  juvenile  corrup- 
tion, that  they  have  so  many  hours  in  which, 
they  have  nothing  to  do.  Your  own  famous  Rit- 
tenhouse  used  to  say,  that  he  once  thought  health 
the  most  precious  of  all  human  possessions  !  "  Is 
it  not?"  exclaimed  an  astonished  visitor.  "What, 
then,  is  it?"  "Time!"  exclaimed  the  sage; 
"  Time !"  Instead,  therefore,  of  having  a  great 
deal  of  time  loose  upon  their  hands,  youth  are  mflst 
kindly  and  wisely  dealt  with,  by  their  having  none, 
or  next  to  none.  And  of  how  much  value  it  will 
be  hereafter  to  acquire  the  habit  of  being  always 
husy,  let  those  determine  who  are  the  most  active 
and  efficient  men  in  the  various  walks  of  public 
and  private  industry. 

3.  I  have  said  that  education  includes  the 
cultivation  of  manners.  I  mean  by  manners  all 
those  lighter  things  in  conduct,  which  though  they 


of  the  Faculty  of  Dickinson  College.      467 

do  not  occupy  tlie  rank  of  morals,  do  yet  belong 
to  the  embellishments  and  ornaments  of  life. 

I  hardly  know  how  it  has  happened,  that  a 
"Scholar"  is  become  a  common  term  for  every- 
thing unpolished  and  uncouth.  Some  men  indeed, 
by  the  greatness  of  their  genius  and  the  immen- 
sity of  their  erudition,  have  attained  a  sort  of 
privileged  exemption  from  the  common  courtesies 
of  society.  But  the  misery  is,  that  the  same 
exemption  is  claimed  by  those  who  have  only  rude- 
ness, which  they  mistake  for  genius ;  and  disre- 
gard of  civility,  which  passes  with  them  for  erudi- 
tion. Thus  if  scholars  are  sometimes  awkward 
and  absent,  every  awkward,  inattentive  creature, 
calls  himself  a  scholar.  Just  as,  to  use  a  compari- 
son of  the  late  Mr.  Gouverneur  Morris,  "because 
statesmen  have  been  called  knaves,  every  knave 
should,  of  course,  suppose  himself  a  statesman." 
Certain,  however,  it  is,  that  no  young  men  have 
enjoyed  the  reputation  of  being  ill-bred,  unman- 
nerly, and  vulgar,  more  than  Students  of  Col- 
leges. How  is  this  \  Is  there  anything  in  the 
retreats  of  the  muses  to  cherish  ferocity  ?  Do 
men  necessarily  become  brutes,  when  the  world 
gives  them  credit  for  becoming  philosophers  ? 
Does  the  acquisition  of  science,  especially  moral 
science,  involve  the  destruction  of  decency  ?  So 
that  after  a  young  man  has  left  College  laden  with 
all  its  honors,  he  has  again  to  be  put  to  school,  in 


468      Report  relative  to  the   Organization 

practical  life,  before  he  can  be  fit  for  the  company 
of  gentlemen  and  ladies!  I  blush  to  think  that 
the  place,  which  of  all  others,  is  supposed  to  teach 
a  young  man  manners,  is  the  army.  That  the 
kindness,  the  courtesy,  the  chivalry  of  life,  should 
be  associated  with  the  trade  of  blood !  That  the 
pistol  and  the  dagger  should  be  the  measure  of 
morals  and  of  politeness  with  gentlemen :  and  that 
when  they  have  trampled  under  their  feet  every 
law  of  God  and  man;  and  all  that  is  dear  to 
human  happiness,  and  ought  to  be  of  high  account 
in  human  society,  is  made  the  sport  of  momentary 
passion,  they  should  still  be  allowed  to  pass  for 
men  of  breeding  and  honor!  There  is  something 
rotten  in  the  state  of  Denmark ! 

The  old  adage,  though  not  true  in  the  extent  to 
which  it  has  been  carried,  is  yet  true  in  a  great 
degree, 

"  Ingenuas  didicisse  fideliter,  artes, 
JEmollit  mores,  nee  sinit  esse  feros." 

Let  the  "-molles  mores'  of  the  sons  of  Dickin- 
son show  that  they  have  faithfully  studied  the 
'■'■artes  ingenuas." 

This  intellect  it  is  true  cannot  be  evolved;  nor 
these  habits  formed,  nor  these  manners  cultivated, 
without  exact  government.  Let  not  my  young 
friends  be  startled  by  the  terms  exact  government. 
I  do  not  mean  the  government  of  brute  force,  nor 


of  the  Faculty  of  Dickinson   College.     469 

the  government  of  mere  stern  authority.  I  know 
that  these  methods  have  been  sometmies  tried,  and 
have  ahvajs  failed ;  and  I  scruple  not  to  say, 
ought  always  to  fail.  Some  men  have  imagined 
the  youth  of  our  country  to  be  naturally  ferocious, 
and  have  applied  to  them  the  same  sort  of  means 
as  they  would  have  applied  to  an  intractable  beast. 
Some  men  have  again  supposed,  that  there  is  no 
way  of  supporting  their  authority,  but  by  distance, 
by  austerity,  by  menace.  I  am  neither  disap- 
pointed, nor  displeased,  at  their  complete  discom- 
fiture. And  I  am  free  to  confess  that  if  there  be 
not  something  in  the  character  and  carriage  of 
the  governor  which,  of  its  own  accord,  invites 
confidence  and  ensures  respect,  all  artificial  substi- 
tutes will  speedily  prove  their  insufficiency. 

With  respect  to  the  accusation  which  has  fre- 
quently been  brought  against  our  youth,  of  their 
being  more  untoward  and  unruly  than  youth  of 
other  countries,  at  their  age  and  in  their  circum- 
stances, I  must  take  the  liberty  to  call  this  a 
mere  calumny.  And  must  say  further,  that  when 
such  conduct  has  been  evinced,  in  any  considera- 
ble degree,  the  fault  has  been  at  least  as  much  in 
the  governors  as  in  the  governed.  I  have  been 
young  myself,  and  have  not  forgotten  my  youthful 
feelings.  I  never  could  find  in  my  heart,  nor  see 
in  my  fellows,  the  smallest  disposition  to  act  with 
any  contumely  towards  a  man  who  knew  how  to 


470     Report  relative  to  the  Organization 

treat  us  as  gentlemen ;  nor  with  any  respect 
towards  a  man  who  did  not.  Let  this  rule  be 
freely  and  fairly  applied.  I  submit  to  all  the  con- 
seqences,  and  I  think  I  may  answer  for  all  my  col- 
leagues, I  am  full  well  aware  of  the  peril  of  this 
declaration,  but  have  no  inclination  to  shun  it.  I 
can  speak,  and  I  hope  may  speak  on  this  occa- 
sion, without  the  charge  of  egotism,  from  my  own 
experience.  For  more  than  twenty  years  I  came 
into  immediate  contact  with  the  children  of  a  large 
congregation ;  for  nearly  fifteen  years  it  was  my 
lot  to  direct  the  studies  of  young  men  for  the 
Christian  ministry,  and  for  five  years  of  that 
period,  I  was  called  to  the  government  of  one  of 
our  most  considerable  colleges ;  and  in  all  time 
I  never  met  with  an  instance  of  personal  dis- 
respect from  a  young  person  in  any  one  of  them. 
I  have  no  fear  of  it  now  ;  for  I  cannot  suppose  that 
the  youths  of  Dickinson  will  impose  on  me  the 
necessity  of  making  them  a  dishonorable  exception. 
What,  then,  is  the  government  which  ought  to  be 
pursued,  and  will  perform  such  miracles  among 
young  men  ?  One  which  is  very  plain,  very  sim- 
ple, though  unhappily  not  very  common ;  and  one 
which  will  carry  the  process  through,  from  a  family 
up  to  a  nation.  The  whole  secret  consists  in  be- 
ing reasonaMe,  hem^Jlrm,  and  being  uniform. 

1,  In  being  reasonahlc.     Whatever  you  require, 
must  be  such  as  cannot  fairly  be  objected  to;  such 


of  the  Faculty  of  Dickinson   College.     471 

as  belong  to  the  situation  of  jour  pupil,  his  duties, 
and  his  time  of  life.  It  is  a  very  strong  point  gained 
to  have  his  conscience  on  your  side.  You  are  not 
to  demand  v^^hat  he  is  unable  to  perform;  and  if 
such  happen  to  be  his  situation,  it  must  be  altered 
accordingly.  Great  care  must  then  be  taken  to  see 
that  your  commands  are  reasonable ;  this  matter 
being  settled,  I  say, 

2.  That  a  good  government  ought  to  be  firm. 
Entreaty  and  supplication  ought  to  have  no  more 
influence  upon  its  proceedings  than  upon  the  bench 
of  the  Supreme  Court ;  and  a  youth  should  count 
no  more  upon  its  pliancy.  I  do  not  mean  to  assert 
that  a  teacher  or  governor  of  youth  should  never 
acknowledge  an  error,  or  that  he  shpuld  obstinately 
adhere  to  a  thing  because  he  has  said  or  ordered  it. 
He  is  a  miserable  pauper  whom  the  loss  of  a  six- 
pence will  bankrupt ;  and  in  intellectual  matters 
he  is  no  richer,  who  cannot  afford  to  confess  a  mis- 
take. He  must  not,  indeed,  do  this  often.  But 
occasionally,  as  liumanum  est  errare,  he  may,  by 
owning  that  he  has  been  mistaken,  doing  it  freely, 
doing  it  magnanimously,  attach  the  affections  of 
the  youth  very  strongly  to  his  person,  and  affirm 
his  authority  by  those  very  means  which  would 
weaken  it  in  an  undecided  and  incapable  man. 

3.  I  add,  once  more,  that  a  government,  to  be 
good  for  anything,  must  be  uniform.  By  uniform, 
I  mean  that  it  shall  be  habitually  the  same  thing ; 


472     Report  relative  to  the   Organization 

that  when  you  have  its  decisions  at  one  time,  you 
know  where  to  find  them  at  another;  that  it  shall 
not  be  marked  by  whim;  shall  not  be  moved  out 
of  its  course  by  gusts  of  passion ;  shall  not,  in  a  fit 
of  great  good  humor,  allow  to-day,  what,  in  a  fit  of  ill 
humor,  it  will  forbid  to-morrow;  shall  not,  therefore, 
tease  and  vex  the  subjects  of  it  by  its  fickleness 
and  variableness.  These  should  always  know 
what  they  have  to  depend  upon ;  and  not  see  the 
elements  of  order  disturbed  and  broken  up  by  the 
prevalence  of  official  disorder.  Against  a  govern- 
ment administered  upon  such  principles  and  marked 
in  its  several  acts  by  courtesy,  by  kindness,  by  the 
frankness  and  dignity  of  gentlemen,  I  am  persuaded 
that  depravity  herself  could  not  muster  up  any- 
thing like  a  formidable  conspiracy. 

Such,  gentlemen,  we  profess  to  be  our  aim;  and 
in  the  prosecution  of  such  an  aim  we  feel  confident 
of  your  support.  Although  we  do  not  expect  to 
have  much,  if  any  reason  to  apply  for  it.  We  do 
not  hope,  that  an  appeal  to  the  understanding,  the 
magnanimity,  the  conscience,  of  the  students,  will 
effectually  preclude  those  scenes  of  misrule  which 
have  occasionally  tarnished  the  history  of  other 
colleges;  and  that  affection  will  do  for  us  what  the 
exercise  of  mere  authority  has  not  been  able  to  do 
for  others — attach  the  students  more  and  more  to 
the  interests  oi  x\\q\y  Alma  Mater.  After  all,  young 
gentlemen,  students  of  this  institution,  her  success 


of  the  Faculty  of  Dickinson  College.      473 

is,  in  a  great  measure,  in  your  hands.  Have  we 
deceived  ourselves  in  expecting  from  you  a  chival- 
rous sense  of  moral  honor  ?  A  dehcate  noble  sen- 
sibility to  character,  and  all  the  decencies  and 
elegance  of  character?  a  high  respect  for  order 
and  decorum,  even  in  slighter  matters  ?  an  ardent 
love  of  your  studies  and  corresponding  industry  ? 
If  we  have  not ;  if  our  expectations  are  well 
founded ;  if  you  shall  bear  us  out  in  our  hopes  re- 
specting you,  then  shall  our  efforts  be  animated, 
our  labors  sweetened,  our  success  cheering,  and 
Dickinson  College  revive  from  her  desolations,  a 
phoenix  of  renewed  life,  and  spreading  her  lustre 
over  your  county,  your  state,  your  country,  be  a 
source  of  mild  and  enduring  glory  in  ages  to 
come. 


FUNERAL    ORATION 

ON    THE 

DEATH   OF   GENERAL    WASHINGTON, 

DELIVERED    IN    THE 

BRICK    PRESBYTERIAN    CHURCH, 

IN    THE 

CITY   OF   NEW  YORK, 

22d  February,  1800. 


FUNERAL    ORATION. 


Fellow-Citizens, — The  offices  of  this  day 
belong  less  to  eloquence  than  to  grief.  We  cele- 
brate one  of  those  great  events,  which,  by  uniting 
public  calamity  with  private  affliction,  create  in 
every  bosom  a  response  to  the  throes  of  an  empire. 
God,  who  doeth  wonders,  whose  ways  must  be 
adored  but  not  questioned,  in  severing  from  the 
embraces  of  America  her  first-beloved  patriot,  has 
imposed  on  her  the  duty  of  blending  impassioned 
feeling  with  profound  and  unmurmuring  submis- 
sion. An  assembled  nation,  lamenting  a  father  in 
their  departed  chief;  absorbing  every  inferior  con- 
sideratibn  in  the  sentiments  of  their  common  loss ; 
mingling  their  recollections  and  their  anticipations; 
their  wishes,  their  regrets,  their  sympathies,  and 
their  tears;  is  a  spectacle  not  more  tender  than 
awful,  and  excites  emotions  too  mighty  for  utter- 
ance. I  should  have  no  right  to  complain,  Ameri- 
cans, if,  instead  of  indulging  me  with  your  atten- 


478  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

tions,  you  should  command  me  to  retire,  and  leave 
you  to  weep  in  the  silence  of  woe.  I  should  de- 
serve the  reprimand  were  I  to  appear  before  you 
with  the  pretensions  of  eulogy.  No !  Eulogy 
has  mistaken  her  province  and  her  powers  when 
she  assumes  for  her  theme  the  glory  of  Washing- 
ton. His  deeds  and  his  virtues  are  his  high 
eulogium.  His  deeds  tnost  familiar  to  your  me- 
mories— his  virtues  most  dear  to  your  affections. 
To  me,  therefore,  nothing  is  permitted,  but  to  bor- 
row from  yourselves.  And  though  a  pencil  more 
daring  than  mine  would  languish  in  attempting  to 
retrace  the  living  hnes  which  the  finger  of  Truth 
has  drawn  upon  your  hearts,  you  will  bear  with 
me,  while,  on  a  subject  which  dignifies  everything 
related  to  it,  "  I  tell  you  that  which  you  yourselves 
do  know." 

The  name  of  Washington,  connected  with  all 
that  is  most  brilliant  in  the  history  of  our  country  and 
in  human  character,  awakens  sensations  which  agi- 
tate the  fervors  of  youth,  and  warm  the  chill  bosom 
of  age.  Transported  to  the  times  when  America 
rose  to  repel  her  wrongs  and  to  claim  her  destinies, 
a  scene  of  boundless  grandeur  bursts  upon  our  view. 
Long  had  her  fiUal  duty  expostulated  with  parental 
injustice.  Long  did  she  deprecate  the  rupture  of 
those  ties  which  she  had  been  proud  of  preserving 
and  displaying.  But  her  humble  intreaty  spurned, 
aggression  followed  by  the   rod,   and   the  rod  by 


Death  of  General  Washington.  479 

scorpions,  having  changed  remonstrance  into  mur- 
mur, and  murmur  into  resistance,  she  transfers  her 
grievances  from  the  throne  of  earth  to  the  throne 
of  heaven,  and  precedes  by  an  appeal  to  the  God 
of  battles  her  appeal  to  the  sword  of  war,  ,  At 
issue  now  with  the  mistress  of  the  seas — unfur- 
nished with  equal  means  of  defence — the  convul- 
sive shock  approaching — and  every  evil  omen 
passing  before  her — one  step  of  rashness  or  of  folly 
may  seal  her  doom.  In  this  accumulation  of  trou- 
ble, who  shall  command  her  confidence,  and  face 
her  dangers,  and  conduct  her  cause  ?  God,  whose 
kingdom  ruleth  over  all,  prepares  from  afar  the  in- 
struments best  adapted  to  his  purpose.  By  an 
influence  which  it  would  be  as  irrational  to  dispute 
as  it  is  vain  to  scrutinize,  he  stirs  up  the  spirit  of 
the  statesman  and  the  soldier.  Minds,  on  which 
he  has  bestowed  the  elements  of  greatness,  are 
brought  by  his  providence  into  contact  with  exi- 
gencies which  rouse  them  into  action.  It  is  in  the 
season  of  effort  and  of  peril  that  impotence  disap- 
pears and  energy  arises.  The  whirlwind  which 
sweeps  away  the  glowworm,  uncovers  the  fire  of 
genius,  and  kindles  it  into  a  blaze  that  irradiates  at 
once  both  the  zenith  and  the  poles.  But  among 
the  heroes  who  sprung  from  obscurity  when  the 
college,  the  counting-house,  and  the  plough,  teemed 
with  "  thunderbolts  of  war,"  none  could,  in  all 
respects,  meet  the  wants  and  the  wishes  of  America. 


480  J^uneral  Oration  on  the 

She  required,  in  her  leader,  a  man  reared  under 
her  own  eye ;  who  combined  with  distinguished 
talent  a  character  above  suspicion;  who  had  added 
to  his  physical  and  moral  qualities  the  experience 
of  difficult  service  ;  a  man  who  should  concentrate 
in  himself  the  public  affections  and  confidences; 
who  should  knpw  how  to  multiply  the  energies  of 
every  other  man  under  his  direction,  and  to  make 
disaster  itself  the  means  of  success — his  arm  a  for- 
tress and  his  name  a  host.  Such  a  man  it  were 
almost  presumption  to  expect ;  but  such  a  man 
all-ruling  heaven  had  provided,  and  that  man  was 
Washington. 

Pre-eminent  already  in  worth,  he  is  summoned 
by  his  country  to  the  pre-eminence  of  toil  and  of 
danger.  Unallured  by  the  charms  of  opulence — 
unappalled  by  the  hazard  of  a  dubious  w^arfare — 
unmoved  by  the  prospect  of  being,  in  the  event  of 
failure,  the  first  and  most  conspicuous  victim,  he 
obeys  her  mandate  because  he  loves  his  duty. 
The  resolve  is  firm,  for  the  probation  is  terrible. 
His  theatre  is  a  world;  his  charge,  a  family  of 
nations;  the  interest  staked  in  his  hands,  the  pros- 
perity of  millions  unborn  in  ages  to  come.  His 
means,  under  aid  from  on  high,  the  resources  of 
his  own  breast,  with  the  raw  recruits  and  irregu- 
lar supplies  of  distracted  colonies.  O  crisis  wor- 
thy of  such  a  hero !  Followed  by  her  little  bands, 
her  prayers  and   her  tears,  Washington  espouses 


Death  of  General  Washington.  481 

the  quarrel  of  his  country.  As  he  moves  on  to 
the  conflict  every  heart  palpitates  and  every  knee 
trembles.  The  foe,  alike  valiant  and  veteran,  pre- 
sents no  easy  conquest  nor  aught  inviting  but  to 
those  who  had  consecrated  their  blood  to  the  pub- 
lic weal.  The  Omnipotent  who  allots  great 
enjoyment  as  the  meed  of  great  exertion,  had 
ordained  that  America  should  be  free,  but  that 
she  should  learn  to  value  the  blessing  by  the  price 
of  its  acquisition.  She  shall  go  to  a  "wealthy 
place,"  but  her  way  is  "  through  fire  and  through 
water."  Many  a  generous  chief  must  bleed,  and 
many  a  gallant  youth  sink  at  his  side,  into  the 
surprised  grave ;  the  field  must  be  heaped  with 
slain,  the  purple  torrent  must  roll,  ere  the  angel  of 
peace  descend  with  his  olive.  It  is  here,  amid 
devastation,  and  horror,  and  death,  that  Washing- 
ton must  reap  his  laurels,  and  engrave  his  trophies 
on  the  shields  of  immortality.  Shall  Delaware 
and  Princeton?  Shall  Monmouth  and  York? 
But  I  may  not  particularize ;  far  less  repeat  the 
tale  wiiicli  babes  recite,  which  poets  sing,  and 
Fame  has  published  to  a  listening  world.  Every 
scene  of  his  action  was  a  scene  of  his  triumph. 
Now  he  saved  the  repubhc  by  more  than  Fabian 
caution;  now  he  avenged  her  by  more  than  Car- 
thaginian fierceness;  while  at  every  stroke  her 
forests  and  her  hills  re-echoed  to  her  shout,  "The 
sword  of  the  Lord  and  of  Washington  !"     Nor 

VOL.  IV.       31 


482  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

was  this  the  vain  applause  of  partiaHty  and  enthu- 
siasm. The  blasted  schemes  of  Britain,  her  bro- 
ken and  her  captive  hosts,  proclaimed  the  terror 
of  his  arms.  Skilled  were  her  chiefs,  and  brave 
her  legions ;  but  bravery  and  skill  rendered  them 
a  conquest  more  worthy  of  Washington.  True, 
he  suffered  in  his  turn  repulse,  and  even  defeat. 
It  was  both  natural  and  needful.  Unchequered 
with  reverse,  his  story  would  have  resembled 
rather  the  fictions  of  romance  than  the  truth  of 
narrative:  and  had  he  been  neither  defeated  nor 
repulsed,  we  had  never  seen  all  the  grandeur  of 
his  soul.  He  arrayed  himself  in  fresh  honors  by 
that  which  ruins  even  the  great — vicissitude.  He 
could  not  only  subdue  an  enemy,  but,  what  is  infi- 
nitely more,  he  could  subdue  misfortune.  With  an 
equanimity  which  gave  temperance  to  victory,  and 
cheerfulness  to  disaster,  he  balanced  the  fortunes 
of  the  state.  In  the  face  of  hostile  prowess;  in  the 
midst  of  mutiny  and  treason ;  surrounded  with 
astonishment,  irresolution, and  despondence;  Wash- 
ington remained  erect,  unmoved,  invincible.  What- 
ever ills  America  might  endure  in  maintaining  her 
rights,  she  exulted  that  she  had  nothing  to  fear 
from  her  commander-in-chief.  The  event  justified 
her  most  sanguine  presages.  That  invisible  hand 
which  girded  him  at  first,  continued  to  guard  and 
to  guide  him  through  the  successive  stages  of  the 
revolution.     Nor  did  he  account  it  a  weakness  to 


Death  of  General   WasJiingfoji.  483 

bend  the  knee  in  homage  to  its  supremacy,  and 
prayer  for  its  direction.  -This  was  the  armor  of 
Washington ;  this  the  salvation  of  his  country. 

The  hope  of  her  reduction  at  length  abandoned; 
her  war  of  hberty  brought,  in  the  estabhshment  of 
independance,  to  that  honorable  conclusion  for 
which  it  had  been  undertaken ;  the  hour  arrived 
when  he  was  to  resign  the  trust  which  he  had 
accepted  with  diffidence.  To  a  mind  less  pure 
and  elevated,  the  situation  of  America  would  have 
furnished  the  pretext  as  well  as  the  means  of  mili- 
tary usurpation.  Talents  equal  to  daring  enter- 
prise; the  derangement  of  public  affairs;  unbounded 
popularity ;  and  the  devotion  of  a  suffering  army, 
would  have  been  to  every  other  a  strong,  and  to 
almost  any  other  an  irresistible  temptation.  In 
Washington  they  did  not  produce  even  the  pain  of 
self-denial.  They  added  the  last  proof  of  his  dis- 
interestedness, and  imposed  on  his  country  the  last 
obligation  to  gratitude.  Impenetrable  by  corrupt- 
ing influence ;  deaf  to  honest  but  erring  solicita- 
tion;  irreconcilable  with  every  disloyal  sentiment; 
he  urged  the  necessity,  and  set  the  example,  of 
laying  down  in  peace  arms  assumed  for  the  com- 
mon defence.  But  to  separate  from  the  compa- 
nions of  his  danger  and  his  glory  was,  even  for 
Washington,  a  difficult  task.  About  to  leave  them 
forever,  a  thousand  sensations  rushed  upon  his 
heart,,  and  all  the  soldier  melted  in  the  man.     He, 


484  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

who  has  no  tenderness,  has  no  magnanimity. 
Washington  could  vanquish,  and  Washington 
could  weep.  Never  was  affection  more  cordially 
reciprocated.  The  grasped  hand  ;  the  silent  an- 
guish ;  the  spontaneous  tear  trickling  down  the 
scarred  cheek ;  the  wistful  look,  as  he  passed,  after 
the  warrior  who  should  never  again  point  their 
way  to  victory — form  a  scene  for  nature's  painter 
and  for  nature's  bard. 

But  we  must  not  lose,  in  our  sensibility,  the 
remembrance  of  his  penetration,  his  prudence,  his 
regard  of  public  honor  and  of  public  faith.  Abhor- 
ring outrage  ;  jealous  for  the  reputation,  and  dread- 
ing the  excesses,  of  even  a  gallant  army,  flushed 
with  conquest,  prompted  by  incendiaries,  and  shel- 
tered by  a  semblance  of  right,  his  last  act  of 
authority  is  to  dismiss  them  to  their  homes  without 
entering  the  capital.  Accompanied  with  a  hand- 
ful of  troops,  he  repairs  to  the  council  of  the  states, 
and  through  them  surrenders  to  his  country  the 
sword  which  he  had  drawn  in  her  defence.  Sin- 
gular phenomenon !  Washington  becomes  a 
private  citizen.  He  exchanges  supreme  command 
for  the  tranquillity  of  domestic  life.  Go,  incom- 
parable man!  to  adorn  no  less  the  civic  virtues 
than  the  splendid  achievements  of  the  field.  Go, 
rich  in  the  consciousness  of  thy  high  deserts.  Go, 
with  the  admiration  of  the  world,  with  the  plaudit 


Death  of  General  Washington.  485 

of  millions,  and  the  orisons  of  millions  more  for 
thy  temporal  and  thine  eternal  bliss ! 

The  glory  of  Washington  seemed  now  com- 
plete. While  the  universal  voice  proclaimed  that 
he  might  decline  with  honor  every  future  burden, 
it  was  a  wish  and  an  opinion,  almost  as  universal, 
that  he  would  not  jeopard  the  fame  which  he  had 
so  nobly  won. ,  Had  personal  considerations 
swayed  his  mind,  this  would  have  been  his  own 
decision.  But,  untutored  in  the  philosophism  of 
the  age,  he  had  not  learned  to  separate  the  max- 
ims of  wisdom  from  the  injunctions  of  duty.  His 
soul  was  not  debased  by  that  moral  cowardice 
which  fears  to  risk  popularity  for  the  general  good. 
Having  assisted  in  the  formation  of  an  efficient 
government  which  he  had  refused  to  dictate  or 
enforce  at  the  mouth  of  his  cannon,  he  was  ready 
to  contribute  the  weight  of  his  character  to  insure 
its  effect ;  and  his  country  rejoiced  in  an  opportu- 
nity of  testifying  that,  much  as  she  loved  and 
trusted  others,  she  still  loved  and  trusted  him  most. 
Hailed  by  her  unanimous  suffrage  the  pilot  of  the 
'  state,  he  approaches  the  awful  helm,  and  grasping 
it  with  equal  firmness  and  ease,  demonstrates  that 
forms  of  power  cause  no  embarrassment  to  him. 

In  so  novel  an  experiment  as  a  nation  framing 
a  government  for  herself  under  no  impulse  but 
that  of  reason,  adopting  it  through  no  force  but 
the   force  of  conviction,  and  putting  it  into   ope- 


486  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

ration  without  bloodshed  or  violence,  it  was  all 
important  that  her  first  magistrate  should  possess 
her  unbounded  good  will.  Those  elements  of  dis- 
cord which  lurked  in  the  diversity  of  local  inter- 
est; in  the  collision  of  political  theories;  in  the 
irritations  of  party;  in  the  disappointed  or  gratified 
ambition  of  individuals ;  and  which,  notwithstand- 
ing her  graceful  transition,  threatened  the  har- 
mony of  America,  it  was  for  Washington  alone  to 
control  and  repress.  His  tried  integrity,  his  ardent 
patriotism,  were  instead- of  a  volume  of  arguments 
for  the  excellence  of  that  system  which  he  ap- 
proved and  supported.  Among  the  simple  and 
honest  whom  no  artifice  was  omitted  to  ensnare, 
there  were  thousands  who  knew  little  of  the  phi- 
losophy of  government,  and  less  of  the  nice  ma- 
chinery of  the  constitution  ;  but  they  knew  that 
Washington  was  wise  and  good;  they  knew  it  was 
impossible  that  he  should  betray  them  ;  and  by  this 
they  were  rescued  from  fhe  fangs  of  faction.  Ages 
will  not  furnish  so  instructive  a  comment  on  that 
cardinal  virtue  of  republicans,  confidence  in  the 
men  of  their  choice ;  nor  a  more  salutary  antidote 
against  the  pestilential  principle,  that  the  soul  of  a 
republic  is  jealousy.  At  the  commencement  of  her 
federal  government,  mistrust  would  have  ruined 
America  ;  in  confidence  she  found  her  safety. 

The  re-appearance  of  Washington  as  a  states- 
man excited  the  conjecture  of  the  old  world,  and 


Death  of  General  Washington.         487 

the  anxiety  of  the  new.  His  martial  fame  had 
fixed  a  criterion,  however  inaccm'ate,  of  his  civil 
administration.  Military  genius  does  neither  con- 
fer nor  imply  political  abihty.  Whatever  merit 
may  be  attached  to  the  faculty  of  arranging  the 
principles,  and  prosecuting  the  details,  of  an  army, 
it  must  be  conceded  that  vaster  comprehensions 
belong  to  the  statesman.  Ignorance,  vanity,  the 
love  of  parodox,  and  the  love  of  mischief,  affecting 
to  sneer  at  the  "  mystery  of  government,"  have  in- 
deed taught  that  common  sense  and  common 
honesty  are  his  only  requisites.  The  nature  of 
things  and  the  experience  of  every  people,  in  every 
age,  teach  a  different  doctrine.  America  had  mul- 
titudes who  possessed  both  those  qualities,  but  she 
had  only  one  Washington.  To  adjust,  in  the 
best  compromise,  a  thousand  interfering  views,  so 
as  to  affect  the  greatest  good  of  the  whole  with  the 
least  inconvenience  to  the  parts ;  to  curb  the  dra- 
gon of  faction  by  means  which  insure  the  safety 
of  public  hberty  ;  to  marshal  opinion  and  prejudice 
among  the  auxiliaries  of  the  law;  in  fine,  to  touch 
the  main-spring  of  national  agency,  so  as  to  pre- 
serve the  equipoise  of  its  powers,  and  to  make  the 
feeblest  movement  of  the  extremities  accord  with 
the  impulse  at  the  centre,  is  only  for  genius  of  the 
highest  order.  To  excel  .equally  in  mihtary  and 
political  science  has  been  the  praise  of  a  few  chosen 


488  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

spirits,  among  whom,  with  a  proud  preference,  we 
enrol  the  Father  of  our  country. 

It  was  the  fortune  of  Washington  to  direct  trans- 
actions of  which  the  repetition  is  hardly  within  the 
limits  of  human  possibihties.  When  he  entered 
on  his  first  presidency,  all  the  interests^of  the  con- 
tinent were  vibrating  through  the  arch  of  political 
uncertainty.  The  departments  of  the  new  gov- 
ernment were  to  be  marked  out  and  filled  up ; 
foreign  relations  to  be  regulated ;  the  physical 
and  moral  strength  of  the  nation  to  be  organized ; 
and  that  at  a  time  when  scepticism  in  politics,  no 
less  than  in  religion  and  morals,  was  preparing 
throughout  Europe  to  spring  the  mine  of  revolu- 
tion and  ruin.  In  discharging  his  first  duties,  that 
same  intelligent,  cautious,  resolute  procedure, 
which  had  rendered  him  the  bulwark  of  war,  now 
exhibited  him  as  the  guardian  of  peace.  Appro- 
priation of  talent  to  employment,  is  one  of  the 
deep  results  of  pohtical  sagacity.  And  in  his 
selection  of  men  for  office,  Washington  displayed 
a  knowledge  of  character  and  business,  a  contempt 
of  favoritism,  and  a  devotion  to  the  public  welfare, 
which  permitted  the  General  to  be  rivaled  only  by 
the  F resident. 

Under  such  auspices,  the  fruit  and  the  pledge 
of  divine  blessing,  America  rears  her  head  and 
recovers  her  vigors.  Agriculture  laughs  on  the 
land:     Commerce    ploughs  the  wave:  Peace   re- 


Death  of  General  Washington.  489 

joices  at  her  home;  and  she  grows  into  respect 
abroad.  Ah  !  too  happy  to  progress  without  inter- 
ruption. The  explosions  of  Europe  bring  new 
vexations  to  her,  and  new  trials  and  new  glories 
to  her  Washington.  Vigilant  and  faithful,  he  hears 
the  tempest  roar  from  afar,  warns  her  of  its  ap- 
proach, and  prepares  for  averting  its  dangers. 
Black  are  the  heavens  and  angry  the  billows,  and. 
narrow  and  perilous  the  passage.  But  his  com- 
posure, dignity,  and  firmness,  are  equal  to  the 
peril.  Unseduced  by  fraud  ;  unterrified  by  threat ; 
unawed  by  clamor;  he  holds  on  his  steady  way, 
and  again  he  saves  his  country.  With  less  deci- 
sion on  the  part  of  Washington,  a  generous  but 
mistaken  ardor  would  have  plunged  her  into  the 
whirlpool,  and  left  her  till  this  hour  the  sport  of 
the  contending  elements.  Americans !  bow  to 
that  magnanimous  policy  which  protected  your 
dearest  interests  at  the  hazard  of  incurring  your 
displeasure.  It  was  thus  that  Washington  proved 
himself,  not  in  the  cant  of  the  day,  but  in  the 
procurement  of  substantial  good,  in  stepping  be- 
tween them  and  perdition,  the  servant  of  the 
people.  The  historian  of  this  period  will  have  to 
record  a  revolt  raised  by  infatuation  against  the 
law  of  the  land.  He  will  have  to  record  the  ne« 
cessity  which  compelled  even  Washington  to 
suppress  it  by  the  sword.  But  he  will  have  to 
record  also  his  gentleness  and  his  lenity.     Deeds 


490  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

of  severity  were  his  sad  tribute  to  justice  ;  deeds 
of  huinanity  the  native  suggestions  of  his  heart. 

Eight  years  of  glorious  administration  created  a 
claim  on  the  indulgence  of  his  country,  which 
none  could  think  of  disputing,  but  which  all  la- 
mented should  be  urged.  The  ends  which  ren- 
dered his  services  indispensable  being  mostly 
attained,  he  demands  his  restoration  to  private  life. 
Resigning  to  an  able  successor  the  reins  which  he 
had  guided  with  characteristic  felicity,  he  once 
more  bids  adieu  to  pubKc  honors.  Let  not  his 
motives  be  mistaken  or  forgotten.  It  was  for  him 
to  set  as  great  examples  in  the  relinquishment,  as 
in  the  acceptance  of  power.  No  mortified  ambi- 
tion ;  no  haughty  disgusts ;  no  expectation  of 
higher  office ;  prompted  his  retreat.  He  knew 
that  foreign  nations  considered  his  life  as  the  bond, 
and  his  influence  as  the  vital  spirit,  of  our  union. 
He  knew  that  his  own  lustre  threw  a  shade  over 
others,  not  more  injurious  to  them  than  to  his 
country.  He  wished  to  dispel  the  enchantment 
of  his  own  name.  He  wished  to  reheve  the  ap- 
prehensions of  America,  by  making  her  sensible  of 
her  riches  in  other  patriots;  to  be  a  spectator  of 
her  prosperity  under  their  management ;  and  to 
'  convince  herself,  and  to  convince  the  world,  tliat 
she  depended  less  on  him  than  either  her  enemies 
or  her  friends  believed ;  and  therefore  he  with- 
drew. 


Death  of  General   Washington.  491 

Having  lavished  all  her  honors,  his  country  had 
nothing  more  to  bestow  upon  him  except  her  bless- 
ing. But  he  had  more  to  bestow  upon  his  coun- 
try. His  views  and  his  advice,  the  condensed 
wisdom  of  all  his  reflection,  observation,  and  expe- 
rience, he  delivers  to  his  compatriots  in  a  manual 
worthy  of  them  to  study  and  of  him  to  compose. 
And  now,  when  they  could  hope  to  enjoy  only  the 
satisfaction  of  still  possessing  him,  the  pleasure  of 
recounting  his  acts,  and  the  benefit  of  practising 
his  lessons,  they  accompany  his  retirement  with 
their  aspirations  that  his  evening  may  be  as  serene 
as  his  morning  had  been  fair,  and  his  noon  resplen- 
dent. 

That  he  should  ever  again  endure  the  solicitudes 
of  office  was  rather  to  be  deprecated  than  desired ; 
because  it  must  be  a  crisis  singularly  portentous 
which  could  justify  another  invasion  of  his  repose. 
From  such  a  necessity  we  fondly  promised  our- 
selves exemption.  Flattering,  fallacious  security  ! 
The  sudden  whirlwind  springs  out  of  a  calm. 
The  revolutions  of  a  day  proclaim  that  an  empire 
was.  However  remote  the  position  of  America ; 
however  peaceful  her  character ;  however  cautious 
and  equitable  her  policy ;  she  was  not  to  go  unmo- 
lested by  the  gigantic  fiend  of  GalUc  domination 
That  she  was  free  and  happy,  was  crime  and 
provocation  enough.  He  fastened  on  her  his 
murderous  eye ;    he   was  preparing   for   her  that 


492  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

deadly  embrace  in  which  nations  supine  and  cred- 
ulous had  already  perished.  Reduced  to  the  alter- 
native of  swelling  the  catalogue  of  his  victims,  or 
arguing  her  cause  with  the  bayonet  and  the  ball, 
she  burst  the  ill-fated  bonds  which  had  hnked  her 
to  his  destinies,  and  assumes  the  tone  and  attitude 
of  defiance.  The  gauntlet  is  cast.  To  press  on 
is  perilous ;  to  retreat  destruction.  She  looks 
wistfully  round,  and  calls  for  Washington.  The 
well-know^n  voice,  that  voice  which  he  had  ever 
accounted  a  law,  pierces  the  retreats  of  Vernon, 
and  thrills  his  bosom.  Domestic  enjoyments  lose 
their  charm ;  repose  becomes  to  him  inglorious ; 
every  sacrifice  is  cheap,  and  every  exertion  easy, 
when  his  beloved  country  requires  his  aid.  With 
all  the  alacrity  of  youth  he  flies  to  her  succor. 
The  helmet  of  war  presses  his  silver  locks.  His 
sword,  which  dishonor  had  never  tarnished  nor 
corruption  poisoned,  he  once  more  unsheathes, 
and  prepares  to  receive  on  its  point  the  insolence 
of  that  foe  whose  intrigue  he  had  foiled  by  his 
wisdom. 

It  must  ever  be  difficult  to  compare  the  merits 
of  Washington's  characters,  because  he  always 
appeared  greatest  in  that  which  he  last  sustained. 
Yet  if  there  is  a  preference,  it  must  be  assigned  to 
the  Lieutenant  General  of  the  armies  of  America. 
Not  because  the  duties  of  that  station  were  more 
arduous  than  those  which  he  had  often  performed, 


Death  of  General  Washington.  493 

but  because  it  more  fully  displayed  his  magnanimi- 
ty. While  others  become  great  by  elevation, 
Washington*  becomes  greater  by  condescension. 
Matchless  patriot !  to  stoop,  on  public  motives,  to 
an  inferior  appointment,  after  possessing  and  digni- 
fying the  highest  offices!  Thrice  favored  coun- 
try, which  boasts  of  such  a  citizen  !  We  gaze 
with  astonishment ;  we  exult  that  we  are  Ameri- 
cans. We  augur  every  thing  great,  and  good,  and 
happy.  But  whence  this  sudden  horror  \  What 
means  that  cry  of  agony  ?  Oh  !  'tis  the  shriek  of 
America  !  The  fairy  vision  is  fled  :  Washington 
is — no  more  ! 

How  are  the  mighty  fallen,  and  the  weapons  of 
war  perished  I 

Daughters  of  America,  who  erst  prepared  the 
festal  bower  and  the  laurel  wreath,  plant  now  the 
cypress  grove,  and  water  it  with  tears. 
,     How  are  the  mighty  fallen,  and  the  weapons  of 
war  perished  I 

The  death  of  Washington,  Americans,  has  re- 
vealed the  extent  of  our  loss.  It  has  given  us  the 
final  proof  that  we  never  mistook  him.  Take  his 
affecting  testament,  and  read  the  secrets  of  his 
soul.  Read  all  the  power  of  domestic  virtue 
Read  his  strong  love  of  letters  and  of  liberty. 
Read  his  fidelity  to  republican  principle,  and  his 
jealousy  of  national  character.  Read  his  devo- 
tedness  to  you  in  his  military  bequests  to  near  rela- 


494  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

tions,  "  These  swords,"  they  are  the  words  of 
Washington,  "  these  swords  are  accompanied  with 
an  injunction  not  to  unsheath  them  for  the  pur- 
pose of  shedding  blood,  except  it  be  for  self-de- 
fence, or  in  defence  of  their  country  and  its  rights ; 
and  in  the  latter  case  to  keep  them  unsheathed, 
and  prefer  falling  with  them  in  their  hands,  to  the 
relinquishment  thereof." 

In  his  acts,  Americans,  you  have  seen  the  man. 
In  the  comphcated  excellence  of  character  he 
stands  alone.  Let  no  future  Plutarch  attempt  the 
iniquity  of  parallel.  Let  no  soldier  of  fortune ; 
let  no  usurping  conqueror;  let  not  Alexander  or 
Caesar;  let  not  Cromwell  or  Bonaparte;  let  none 
among  the  dead  or  the  living;  appear  in  the  same 
picture  with  Washington  ;  or  let  them  appear  as 
the  shade  to  his  light. 

On  this  subject,  my  countrymen,  it-  is  for  others 
to  speculate,  but  it  is  for  us  to  feel.  Yet  in  pro- 
portion to  the  severity  of  the  stroke,  ought  to  be 
our  thankfulness  that  it  vi^as  not  inflicted  sooner. 
Through  a  long  series  of  years,  has  God  preserved 
our  Washington  a  public  blessing ;  and  now  that 
he  has  removed  him  forever,  shall  we  presume  to 
say,  What  doest  thou?  Never  did  the  tomb  preach 
more  powerfully  the  dependence  of  all  things  on 
the  will  of  the  Most  High.  The  greatest  of  mor- 
tals crumble  into  dust  the  moment  he  commands, 
Ret^irn,  ye  children  of  men.     Washington  was  but 


Death  of  General  Washington.  495 

the  instrument  of  a  benignant  God.  He  sickens, 
he  dies,  that  we  may  learn  not  to  trust  in  men, 
nor  to  malie  Jlesh  our  arm.  But  though  Wash- 
ington is  dead,  Jehovah  hves.  God  of  our  fathers! 
be  our  God,  and  the  God  of  our  children  !  Tliou 
art  our  refuge  and  our  hope ;  the  pillar  of  our 
strength-;  the  wall  of  our  defence,  and  our  unfa- 
ding glory. 

Americans !  This  God,  who  raised  up  Wash- 
ington and  gave  you  liberty,  exacts  from  you  the 
duty  of  cherishing  it  with  a  zeal  according  to 
knowledge.  Never  sully  by  apathy  or  by  outrage, 
your  fair  inheritance.  Risk  not,  for  one  moment, 
on  visionary  theories,  the  solid  blessings  of  your 
lot.  To  you,  particularly,  O  youth  of  America! 
applies  the  solemn  charge.  In  all  the  perils  of 
your  country  remember  Washington.  The  free- 
dom of  reason  and  of  right  has  been  handed 
down  to  you  on  the  point  of  the  hero's  sword. 
Guard  with  veneration  the  sacred  deposit.  The 
curse  of  ages  will  rest  upon  you,  O  youth  of 
America,  if  ever  you  surrender  to  foreign  ambi- 
tion or  domestic  lawlessness,  the  precious  liberties 
for  which  Washington  fought,  and  your  fathers 
bled. 

I  cannot  part  with  you,  fellow-citizens,  without 

urging   the    long   remembrance    of    our    present 

assembly.     This  day  we  wipe  away  the  reproach 

^  of  republics,  that  they  know  not  how  to  be  grate- 


496  Funeral  Oration. 

ful.  Ill  jour  treatment  of  living  patriots,  recall 
your  love  and  your  regret  of  Washington.  Let 
not  future  inconsistency  charge  this  day  with 
hypocrisy.  Happy  America,  if  she  gives  an  in- 
stance of  universal  principle  in  her  sorrows  for  the 
man,  "  first  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the 
aflfections  of  his  country  !" 


AN    ORATION. 


COMMEMORATIVi;  OF  THE  LATE 


MAJ.    GEN.   ALEXANDER    HAMILTON; 


PRONOUNCED  BEFORE  THE 


NEW  YORK  STATE  SOCIETY  OF  THE  CINCINNATI, 
ON  TUESDAY,  THE  31ST  JULY,  1801. 


VOL.  IV.     32 


FUNERAL    ORATION. 


Sad,  my  fellow-citizens,  are  the  recollections  and 
forebodings  which  the  present  solomnities  force 
upon  the  mind.  Five  years  have  not  elapsed  since 
your  tears  flowed  for  the  Father  of  your  country, 
and  you  are  again  assembled  to  shed  them  over 
her  eldest  son.  No,  it  is  not  an  illusion — would  to 
God  it  were  :  your  eyes  behold  it :  the  urn  which 
bore  the  ashes  of  Washington  is  followed  by  the 
urn  which  bears  the  ashes  of  Hamilton,  Cruel 
privation ! — but  I  forbear.  God's  luay  is  in  the  sea^ 
and  his  path  in  the  great  waters,  and  his  footsteps 
are  not  known.  It  is  not  for  mortals  to  repine, 
much  less  to  arraign.  Our  Hamilton  is  removed ; 
and  we  have  nothing  left  but  to  recall  his  image  ; 
to  gather  up  his  maxims,  and  to  profit  by  our  afflic- 
tion. Accompany  me,  therefore,  to  a  short  retros- 
pect. 1  feel  that  I  shall  not  justify  an  appointment 
too  imposing  to  be  dechned.  Your  own  hearts 
must  supply  my  deficiency.     I  aspire  to  nothing 


500  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

more  than  a   faint  outline  of  the   man  whom  you 
loved. 

Presages  of  his  future  eminence  were  evolved 
by  the  first  buddings  of  intellect  in  Alexander 
Hamilton.  The  course  of  the  boy,  like  that  of 
the  man,  was  ardent,  rapid,  and  beyond  the  reach 
of  his  contemporaries.  History  will  hereafter 
relate  that  he  was  numbered  amono-  statesmen  at 
an  age  when  in  others  the  rudiments  of  character 
are  scarcely  visible.  In  the  contest  with  Great 
Britain,  which  called  forth  every  talent  and  every 
passion,  his  juvenile  pen  asserted  the  claims  of  the 
colonies  against  writers  from  whom  it  would  dero- 
gate to  say  that  they  were  merely  respectable.  An 
unknown  antagonist,  whose  thrust  was  neither  to 
be  repelled  nor  parried,  excited  inquiry  ;  and  when 
he  began  to  be  discovered,  the  effect  was  apparent- 
ly so  disproportioned  to  the  cause,  that  his  papers 
were  ascribed  to  a  statesman  who  then  held  a 
happy  sway  in  the  councils  of  his  country,  who 
has  since  rendered  her  the  most  essential  .services  ; 
and  who  still  lives  to  adorn  her  name.*  But  the 
truth  could  not  long  be  concealed.  The  powers 
of  Hamilton  created  their  own  evidence ;  and 
America  saw,  with  astonishment,  a  lad  of  seven- 
teen in  the  rank  of  her  advocates,  at  a  time  when 
her  advocates  were  patriots  and  sages.  A  distinc- 
tion thus  nobly  acquired,  and  ably  maintained,  was 

*  John  Jay,  Esq. 


Death  of  General  Hamilton.  501 

a  pledge  to  the  commonwealth,  which  he  lost  no 
time  in  redeeming.  His  first  step  from  the  college 
was  into  a  military  post ;  his  second  into  the  fami- 
ly and  confidence  of  Washington.  Here  he  had 
opportunities  of  studying  a  man,  from  whom  no 
other  man  was  too  great  to  learn  ;  of  analyzing 
those  mre  qualities  which  met  in  his  character ; 
and  of  nourishing  his  own  magnanimity  by  free 
communication  with  the  magnanimity  of  his  chief. 
His  sound  understanding,  his  comprehensive  views, 
his  promptitude,  appHcation,  and  patience,  would 
have  endeared  him  to  a  man  less  discriminating 
than  Washington;  but  to  him  they  were  inesti- 
mable, and  they  speedily  sunk  the  patron  in  the 
friend.  The  pair  became  inseparable.  While 
others  were  indulging  in  wonted  gaiety,  they  were 
closeted  on  matters  of  state  ;  and  the  pensive  brow 
of  the  youth,  was  often  the  first  intimation  of  seri- 
ous design  in  the  veteran. 

It  was  impossible  for  such  a  pupil  in  such  a 
school,  not  to  be  conspicuous.  The  materials  fur- 
nished by  Washington's  experience,  by  his  con- 
summate prudence,  by  the  disclosure  of  his  plans, 
and  of  the  springs  of  national  operations,  fostered, 
the  genius  of  Hamilton,  and  fitted  him  for  com- 
mand. His  agency  in  the  correspondence  of  the 
commander-in-chief,  and  in  directing  the  move- 
ments of  the  army,  is  for  the  research  of  his  bio- 
grapher.    I   pass  over  his  personal  valor,  not  only 


502  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

because  it  never  was  disputed,  but  because  the 
possession  of  it,  as  being  one  of  the  most  common 
of  military  attributes,  is  not  so  much  the  praise  of 
a  soldier,  as  the  want  of  it  is  his  infamy.  But  be 
it  remembered  with  pride,  that  he  was  as  humane 
as  he  was  brave.  He  knew  how  to  storm  an  en- 
emy's intrenchments,  but  not  how  to  sacrifice  a 
suppliant.  His  gentleness  assuaged  martial  rigor  ; 
nor  was  his  sword  polluted  by  a  drop  of  blood  wan- 
tonly or  carelessly  shed. 

The  capture  of  Lord  Cornwallis  having  secured 
our  independence,  there  was  nothing  to  protract 
the  war,  but  a  {^iw  measures  proper  to  save  appear- 
ances, and  to  prepare  for  acceding,  with  decorum, 
to  preliminaries  of  peace.  It  became,  of  course,  a 
subject  of  solicitude  to  reflecting  young  men  who 
had  no  profession  but  that  of  arms,  how  they 
should  procure  an  honorable  subsistence,  and  be 
useful  to  the  community,  when  that  profession 
should  be  superseded.  Among  these  was  Hamil- 
ton. Encumbered  with  a  family,  destitute  of 
funds,  and  having  no  inducement  to  continue  in 
the  army,  he. sheathed  his  sword,  and  at  the  age 
of  twcnty-fivej  applied  to  the  study  of  the  law. 

To  most  men,  sudden  alterations  of  habit  are 
seldom  advantageous,  often  ruinous.  Hajiilton 
they  did  but  introduce  to  an  acquaintance  with  his 
own  inexhaustible  mind.  Hardly  had  he  ex- 
changed the  camp  for  the  bar,  when  he  burst  forth 


Death  of  General  Hamilton.  503 

in  the  lustre  of  a  civilian ;    and  gave  a  promise 
which  he  more  than  fulfilled,  of  excelling  in  juris- 
. prudence,  as  he  had  excelled  in  war. 

But  it  was  not  for  Hamilton  to  detach  his  pri- 
vate pursuits  from  the  ^public  welfare.  Scenes 
were  about  to  open  in  which  it  would  need  his 
resource  and  his  energy.  The  war  of  indepen- 
dence had  terminated  gloriously;  the  states  had 
risen  to  their  natural  position ;  their  career  of 
prosperity  had  commenced,  but  their  struggles 
were  not  over.  Resentments,  jealousies,  and  the 
farce  of  an  advising  government,  kept  them  in 
jeopardy.  That  foresight,  moderation,  and  firm- 
ness ;  that  comprehension  of  the  public  interest, 
and  of  the  means  of  promoting  it ;  that  zeal,  and 
vigilance,  and  integrity,  which  were  indispensable 
to  our  safety,  the  inspiration  of  God  had  assembled 
in  the  soul  of  Hamilton.  To  many  who  now 
hear  me  it  is  familiar,  that  after  the  conclusion  of 
peace,  some  of  our  citizens,  impelled  by  their  tem- 
per, their  cupidity,  or  both,  were  meditating  vio- 
lence against  the  property  and  persons  of  all  who 
had  remained  in  this  city  during  the  war.  The 
generous  Hamilton  revolted.  No  consideration 
of  private  friendship  or  hazard,  could  prevail  with 
him  to  connive  at  faithlessness  and  revenge.  He 
remonstrated  against  a  scheme  of  which  the  policy 
was  as  false  as  the  spirit  was  malignant.  His 
voice  was  authority,  for  it  was  honor  and  truth. 


504  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

The  public  listened,  and  the  infatuation  was  at  an 
end.* 

To  these  agitations  succeeded  a  more  perplex- 
ing difficulty.  The  confederation,  framed  under 
the  pressure  of  common  danger,  proved  unequal  to 
its  object  whenever  that  "pressure  was  removed. 
Thirteen  republics,  with  an  internal  organization 
which  conmianded  th^ir  whole  moral  and  physical 
force;  connected  by  a  fictitious  tie  under  a  head 
without  a  single  effective  power,  afforded  a  specta- 
cle of  which  it  is  hard  to  say,  whether  it  was 
more  ludicrous  or  melancholy.  Such  a  condition 
of  things  could  not  last.  The  very  first  occurrence 
which  should  put  the  will  of  congress  at  issue  with 
the  will  of  one  of  the  larger  states,  would  have 
dissolved  the  phantom;  and  shown  America  to  be, 
what  the  discerning  at  home  and  abroad  already 
perceived  her  to  be  in  theory,  a  nation ;  in  fact,  a 
number  of  rival  and  hostile  sovereignties.  The 
evils  to  be  apprehended  from  such  a  conflict  were 
alarming;  and  they  were  approaching  with  no  less 
certainty,  than  it  is  certain  that  the  principles  of 
human  action  are  not  to  be  altered,  nor  suspended 
by  compact.  The  failure  of  a  request  from  Con- 
gress for   permission   to  levy   a  small  duty   upon 

*  On  this  subject  it  would  be  less  a  compliment  to  mention,  than 
an  injury  to  omit,  the  name  of  his  excellency  George  Clinton,  Esq., 
then  governor  of  the  state ;  whose  honorable,  independent,  and 
successful  exertions  to  restrain  our  citizens,  cannot  be  remembered 
but  with  respect  and  veneration. 


Death  of  General  Hamilton.  505 

imports,  was  hastening  a  crisis  which  the  mighty 
mind  of  Hamilton  proposed  to  avert.  With  the 
express  intention  of  making  an  effort  to  retrieve 
our  affairs  by  estabhshing  an  efficient  general 
government,  did  he  consent  to  be  nominated  as  a 
candidate  for  the  legislature  of  this  state.  The 
design  was  magnanimous.  It  embraced  the  only 
expedient  to  prevent  our  ruin;  but  it  was  confided 
to  a  few  chosen  friends.  For  such  was  the  na- 
tional inexperience,  and  the  popular  jealousy,  that 
the  least  suspicion  of  his  purpose  would  have 
blasted  his  reputation  as  an  enemy  to  freedom. 
Oh,  Hamilton  !  equally  pure  and  disinterested 
were  all  thy  plans,  though  often  misunderstood  and 
calumniated !  And  now,  when  there  is  no  more 
room  for  suspicion,  let  his  country,  in  judging  of 
them,  not  forget,  that  the  very  measure  which,  at 
first  she  would  bitterly  have  execrated,  has  been 
her  salvation.  Yes,  it  is  indubitable,  that  the 
original  germ  out  of  which  has  grown  up  her 
unexampled  prosperity,  was  in  the  bosom  of  Ham- 
ilton. From  the  abortive  attempt  of  Congress 
already  mentioned,  proceeded  a  commercial  con- 
vention ;  and  to  the  report  of  that  body,  which,  as 
he  foresaw,  was  unable  to  extricate  the  nation,  do 
we  owe  the  federal  convention.  Here,  Americans, 
was  the  constellation  of  your  heroes  and  your 
statesmen.  Here  your  Washington  presided,  and 
your  Hamilton  shone.     What  weight  the  first  of 


506  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

these  names  added  to  everything  which  received 
its  sanction,  and  what  a  concihating  charm  it 
diffused  through  the  states,  you  need  not  to  be 
informed.  But  you  ought  not  to  be  ignorant,  that 
the  benefit  arising  from  the  signature  of  Washing- 
ton substantiates  a  claim  on  your  gratitude  to 
Hamilton  ;  as  it  was  the  advice  of  the  latter  pre- 
viously consulted,  which  persuaded  the  former  to 
accept  a  seat  in  the  convention.  A  prudent  secresy 
covers  the  transactions  of  that  august  assembly. 
But  could  the  veil  be  drawn  aside,  you  w^ould  hear 
the  youth  of  thirty,  fascinating  with  his  eloquence, 
the  collective  wisdom  of  the  states,  and  instructing 
the  hoary  patriot  in  the  recondite  science  of  govern- 
ment. You  would  observe  all  the  emotions  of  his 
manly  heart,  occupying,  in  turn,  his  expressive 
features ;  and  see,  through  the  window  in  his 
breast,  every  anxiety,  every  impulse,  every  thought, 
directed  to  your  happiness.  The  result  is  in  your 
hands ;  it  is  in  your  national  existence.  Not  such 
indeed,  as  Hamilton  wished,  but  such  as  he  could 
obtain,  and  as  the  states  would  ratify,  is  the  federal 
constitution.  His  ideas  of  a  government  which 
should  elevate  the  character,  preserve  the  unity 
and  perpetuate  the  liberties  of  America,  went  be- 
yond the  provisions  of  that  instrument.  Accus- 
tomed to  view  men  as  they  are;  and  to  judge  of 
wdiat  they  will  be,  from  what  they  ever  have  been, 
he  distrusted  any  political  order  which    admits  the 


Death  of  General  Hamilton.  507 

baneful  charity  of  supposing  them  to  be  what  they 
ought  to  be.  He  knew  how  averse  they  are  from 
even  wholesome  restraint ;  how  obsequious  to  flat- 
tery ;  how  easily  deceived  by  misrepresentation ; 
how  partial,  how  vehement,  how  capricious.  He 
knew  that  vanity,  the  love  of  distinction,  is  insepa- 
rable from  man ;  that  if  it  be  not  turned  into  a  chan- 
nel useful  to  the  government,  it  will  force  a  channel 
for  itself;  and  if  cut  off  from  other  egress,  will 
issue  in  the  most  corrupt  of  all  aristocracies — the 
aristocracy  of  money.  He  knew  that  an  extensive 
territory,  a  progressive  population,  an  expanding 
commerce,  diversified  climate,  and  soil,  and  man- 
ners, and  interest,  must  generate  faction  ;  must 
interfere  with  foreign  views,  and  present  emergen- 
cies requiring,  in  the  general  organization,  much 
tone  and  promptitude.  A  strong  government, 
therefore,  that  is,  a  government  stable  and  vigor- 
ous, adequate  to  all  the  forms  of  national  exi- 
gency, and  furnished  with  the  principles  of  self- 
preservation,  was  undoubtedly  his  preference ;  and 
he  preferred  it  because  he  conscientiously  be- 
lieved it  to  be  necessary.  A  system  which  he 
would  have  entirely  approved,  would  probably 
keep  in  their  places  those  httle  men  who  aspire  to 
be  great;  would  withdraw  much  fuel  from  the 
passions  of  the  multitude  ;  would  diminish  the  ma- 
terials which  the  worthless  employ  for  their  owi- 
aggrandizement;  would  crown  peace  at  home  witK 


508  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

respectability  abroad ;  but  would  never  infringe 
the  liberty  of  an  honest  man.  From  his  profound 
acquaintance  with  mankind,  and  his  devotion  to 
all  that  good  society  holds  dear,  sprang  his  appre- 
hensions for  the  existhig  constitution.  Convinced 
that  the  natural  tendency  of  things  is  to  an  en- 
croachment by  the  states  on  the  union ;  that  their 
encroachments  will  be  formidable  as  they  augment 
their  wealth  and  population ;  and,  consequently, 
that  the  vigor  of  the  general  government  will  be 
impaired  in  a  very  near  proportion  with  the  increase 
of  its  difficulties ;  he  anticipated  the  day  when  it 
should  perish  in  the  conflict  of  local  interest  and 
of  local  pride.  The  divine  mercy  grant  that  his 
prediction  may  not  be  verified  ! 

But  whatever  fears  he  entertained  for  the  ulti- 
mate safety  of  the  federal  constitution,  it  is,  in 
every  respect,  so  preferable  to  the  old  confedera- 
tion, and  its  rejection  would  have  been  so  ex- 
tremely hazardous,  that  he  exerted  all  his  talents 
and  influence  in  its  support.  In  the  papers  signed 
PuBLius,  which  compress  the  experience  of  ages, 
and  pour  original  light  on  the  science  of  govern- 
ment, his  genius  has  left  a  manual  for  the  future 
statesman.  And  they  will  be  read  with  deeper  in- 
terest when  it  is  considered  that,  eloquent  and 
powerful  as  they  arc,  they  were  written  under  the 
pressure  of  business,  amidst  the  conversation  of 
friends,  and   the  interrogatories  of  clients.     Alas ! 


Death  of  General  Hamilton.  609 

the  spirit  which  dictated  them  is  fled;  the  hand 
which  penned  them  moulders  in  death! 

His  voice  co-operated  with  his  pen.  In  the  con- 
vention of  this  state,  which  met  to  deliberate  on  the 
federal  constitution,  he  was  alwajs  heard  with 
awe,  perhaps  with  conviction,  though  not  alwajs 
with  success.  But  when  the  crisis  arrived — when 
a  vote  was  to  determine  whether  New  York  should 
retain  or  relinquish  her  place  in  the*  union  ;  and 
preceding  occurrences  made  it  probable  that  she 
would  choose  the  worst  part  of  the  alternative, 
Hamilton  arose  in  redoubled  strength.  He 
argued,  he  remonstrated,  he  entreated,  he  warned, 
he  painted,  till  apathy  itself  was  moved,  and  the 
most  relentless  of  human  things,  a  preconcerted 
majority,  was  staggered  and  broken.  Truth  was 
again  victorious,  and  New  York  enrolled  herself 
under  the  federal  standard. 

The  government  happily  erected,  was  now  to  be 
organized.  Every  eye  fixed  upon  Washington 
for  the  first  magistrate.  He  knew  it,  and  hesitated. 
The  competition  between  his  love  of  retirement, 
his  former  resolutions,  and  the  new  state  of  affairs, 
held  him  in  painful  suspense.  But  the  judgment 
of  Hamilton  preponderated,  and  he  yielded  to  the 
public  wish. 

That  faithful  adviser,  whom  he  had  consulted 
upon  every  question  of  moment,  and  who  never 
gave  him  an  unsound  advice,  could  not  be  omitted 


5]0  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

in  the  original  administration.  The  department 
best  suited  to  him,  because  the  most  arduous,  was 
the  treasury.  He  had  akeadj  passed  from  the 
warrior  into  the  jurist,  and  he  was  now  to  appear 
in  the  new  and  very  different  character  of  a  finan- 
cier. A  losing  commerce,  a  famished  agriculture, 
an  empty  purse,  and  prostrate  credit,  would  have 
overwhelmed  the  ordinary  man;  but  they  only 
brought  into  action  the  resources  of  Hamilton. 
His  plans  for  redeeming  the  reputation  of  the 
country,  by  satisfying  her  creditors  ;  and  for  com- 
bining with  the  government  such  a  moneyed  inter- 
est as  might  faciUtate  its  operations,  were  strenu- 
ously opposed.  But  as  it  is  easier  to  cavil  than  to 
refute,  to  complain  than  to  amend,  the  opposition 
failed.  The  effect  was  electrical.  Commerce  re- 
vived; the  ploughshare  glittered;  property  recovered 
its  value  ;  credit  was  established;  revenue  created; 
the  treasury  filled. 

This  great  fiscal  revolution  enriched  numbers 
who  held  a  large  amount  of  the  public  paper,  pur- 
chased at  a  season  when  the  unpromising  state  of 
the  public  faith  had  set  it  afloat  in  the  market  at  a 
most  ignoble  price.  None  could  have  fairer  oppor- 
tunities of  acquiring  a  princely  fortune,  than  the 
financier  himself.  So  inviting  was  the  occasion, 
and  the  disposition  to  profit  by  it  so  little  at  vari- 
ance with  the  common  estimate  of  honorable  gain, 
that  few  supposed  it  possible  to  resist  the  tempta- 


Death  of  General  Hamilton.  511 

tion.  The  fact  being  presumed,  every  petty  poli- 
tician erected  himself  into  a  critic ;  while  the 
gazettes,  the  streets,  the  polls  of  election,  resound- 
ed with  the  millions  amassed  by  the  secretary.  It 
is  natural  that  the  idolators  of  gold  should  treat  the 
contempt  of  it  as  a  chimera ;  but  gold  was  not  the 
idol  of  Hamilton.  He  had  formerly  relinquished 
his  own  claims  to  compensation  for  military  services, 
that  obloquy  might  not  breathe  an  impeachment  of 
his  motives  in  espousing  the  claims  of  his  brother 
officers.*  And  from  this  proud  eminence  which  he 
then  ascended,  he  was  not  now  to  be  seduced  by 
the  attractions  of  lucre.  Exquisitely  delicate  to- 
ward official  character,  he  touched  none  of  the 
advantages  which  he  put  within  the  reach  of  others; 
he  vested  not  a  dollar  in  the  public  funds. 

Although  his  particular  province  was  the  trea- 

*  Being  a  member  of  congress,  while  the  question  of  the  com- 
mutation of  the  half-pay  of  the  army  for  a  sum  in  gross  was  in  de- 
bate, delicacy,  and  a  desire  to  be  useful  to  the  army,  by  removing 
the  idea  of  his  having  an  interest  in  the  question,  induced  him  to 
write  to  the  secretary  of  war,  and  relinquish  his  claim  to  half-pay ; 
which,  or  the  equivalent,  he  accordingly  never  received.  Neither 
did  he  ever  apply  for  the  lands  allowed  by  the  United  States  to 
officers  of  his  rank.  It  is  true,  that  having  served  through  the  latter 
periods  of  the  war  on  the  general  staff  of  the  United  States,  and  not 
in  the  line  of  this  state,  he  could  not  claim  the  allowance  as  a  matter 
of  course.  But  having  before  the  war  resided  in  this  state,  and 
having  entered  the  military  career  at  the  head  cf  a  company  of 
nrtillary  raised  for  the  particular  defence  of  this  state,  he  had  better 
pretensions  to  the  allowance  than  others  to  whom  it  was  actually 
made.     Yet  has  it  not  been  extended  to  him. 


512  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

sury,  his  genius  pervaded  the  whole  administra- 
tion; and  in  those  critical  events  which  crowded 
each  other,  had  a  pecuhar  influence  upon  its  meas- 
ures. The  French  Revolution,  which  our  fond- 
ness mistook  for  the  birth  of  virtuous  freedom, 
stood  before  him,  from  the  beginning,  in  that  hide- 
ous form  which  it  has  since  unmasked.  Not  to  be 
duped  by  hollow  pretences,  he  was  active  in  ar- 
resting the  course  of  an  insolent  minister ;  and  not 
to  be  biased  by  popular  frenzy,  he  secured  that 
dignified  ground  to  which  the  United  States  were 
led  by  the  proclamation  of  neutrality.  Without 
his  aid,  great  Washington  himself  might  have 
been  borne  down  by  the  torrent,  and  the  nation 
implicated  in  war,  to  gratify  the  resentment  and 
ambition  of  France. 

Internal  embarrassment  soon  added  fresh  honors 
to  Hamilton  as  a  statesman.  The  western  insur- 
rection, which  had  rejected  the  condescending 
proposals  of  government,  was  to  be  quelled  by 
force.  A  more  serious  question  iiad  not  occupied 
the  cabinet,  as  nothing  had  hitherto  occurred  to 
try  the  strength  of  the  national  arm.  It  was  now 
to  be  ascertained  how  far  the  turbulent  might  trifle 
with  the  law,  and  what  rehance  they  might  place 
upon  armed  opposition.  Incalculable  consequen- 
ces hung  upon  the  precedent.  Feeble  measures 
would  have  surrendered  the  peace,  perhaps  the 
hfe,  of  the  union;  but  feeble  measures  were  con- 


Death  of  General  Hamilton.  513 

templated.  That  timidity  which  shrinks  from  de- 
cision ;  that  economy  which  accounts  every  tiling 
less  precious  than  money;  and  that  covert  treason 
which  favored  the  rebelUon,  would  have  ordered 
out  a  detachment  that  might  have  been  met  and 
defeated. 

The  penetration  of  Hamilton  was  not  to  be 
eluded,  nor  his  firmness  to  be  shaken,  by  any 
argument  in  support  of  so  dangerous  an  experi- 
ment. "If  you  wish,"  said  he,  "to  maintain  the 
authority  of  the  laws ;  to  prevent  the  repetition 
of  similar  outrages ;  to  spare  your  treasure  and 
your  blood ;  let  the  insurgents,  let  the  continent 
see,  that  it  is  never  to  admit  of  a  doubt  whether 
the  national  will  shall  be  obeyed  or  not.  Teach 
them  this  lesson  by  employing  a  force  that 
shall  put  resistance  out  of  the  question."  This 
sage  and  humane  policy  was  adopted  by  Wash- 
ington ;  and  the  rebellion  disappeared  without 
effusion  of  blood. 

After  the  restoration  of  order,  Mr.  Hamilton 
remained  but  a  short  time  in  office.  His  nume- 
rous services  gave  him,  perhaps,  a  right  to  retire 
when  the  state  might  be  safely  intrusted  to  other 
hands.  But  one  reason  of  his  retreat  deserves 
particular  notice,  because  it  involves  a  mischievous 
and  disreputable  principle.  A  general  error  in 
popular    systems,  is   a  frugality  which    computes 

nothing  but  pence.     The  affairs  of  a  nation,  how- 
voL.  IV.     33 


514  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

ever,  cannot  be  ablj  conducted  without  able  and 
independent  men.  But  such  men,  in  a  country 
where  the  demand  for  active  talent  is  greater  than 
the  supply,  will  always  hold  their  fortunes  in  their 
own  hand:  nor  are  we  to  expect  that  they  will 
submit  to  the  toils  and  responsibihty  of  public 
office,  with  a  support  utterly  disproportion ed  both 
to  their  station  and  their  means  of  providing  for 
themselves.  No  people  is  in  jeopardy  from  the 
liberality  of  their  civil  list ;  but  when  this  is  nig- 
gardly, able  men  withdraw  in  succession,  and  the 
state  falls  at  length  into  the  hands  of  the  weak 
or  the  wicked,  whose  want  of  capacity  or  of  in- 
tegrity, squanders  on  one  occasion  the  public 
revenue,  and  on  another  overloads  it  with  the 
expenses  of  war.  The  last  of  these  consequences 
God  forbid  we  should  experience  ;  the  first  was 
exemplified  in  the  history  of  Hamilton.  He  en- 
tered into  public  service  with  property  of  his  own, 
the  well  earned  reward  of  professional  talent;  he 
continued  in  it,  till  his  little  funds  were  dissipated ; 
and  left  it,  to  get  bread  for  a  suffering  family.  It 
was  surely  enough  that  he  had  impoverished  him- 
self while  he  was  enriching  the  commonwealth; 
but  it  was  beyond  measure  insulting  to  charge  him, 
under  such  circumstances,  with  invading  the  pub- 
he  purse.  Nobody  believed  the  charge;  and  least 
of  all,  the  slanderers  who  brought  it.  But  Wash- 
ington  was  vilified,   and    how   should  Hamilton 


Death  of  General  Hamilton.         515 

escape  !  The  virtuous  saw  with  regret  that  he 
stooped  to  repel  it,  and  with  anguish  that  in  regard 
to  a  private  aberration,  his  defence  contained  a 
disclosure  of  which  they  admired  the  ingenuous- 
ness, but  deplored  the  occasion,  while  they  wept 
over  a  spot  in  a  blaze  of  excellence. 

Large  and  lucrative  practice  at  the  bar,  promised 
to  replace  his  pecuniary  sacrifices  in  official  life. 
But  a  new  distress  of  his  country  drew  him  again 
from  his  professional  engagements.  Our  remon- 
strances against  the  injuries  committed  by  France, 
had  proved  unavailing  ;  and  her  rude  and  humili- 
ating requisitions  had  fired  the  national  spirit. 
Little  was  to  be  expected  from  the  generosity,  and 
less  from  the  rectitude,  of  a  government  framed 
upon  the  maxims  of  the  new  philosophy.  Tribute 
or  the  sword  was  the  only  choice  of  the  states,  and 
it  would  have  been  a  libel  on  the  war  of  indepen- 
dence to  have  hesitated  a  moment.  A  provisional 
army,  with  Washington  at  their  head,  was  sum- 
moned into  the  field;  but  the  condition  on  which 
he  suspended  the  acceptance  of  his  own  commis- 
sion was,  that  Hamilton  should  be  his  associate. 
The  end  of  this  stipulation  could  not  be  misunder- 
stood. He  not  only  designed  to  have  his  age  re- 
lieved from  some  heavy  cares  by  his  younger  friend, 
but,  in  the  event  of  his  own  decease,  to  leave  the 
sword  of  America  in  the  hands  of  a  man  whom 


516  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

nothing  could  overreach,  nothing  intimidate,  nothing 
corrupt. 

Suhsequent  adjustment  of  our  dispute  with  the 
French  Repuhhc,  was  accompanied  with  the  dis- 
charge of  the  provisional  army,  and  with  Hamil- 
ton's second  return  to  his  profession.     Here,  un- 
wearied in   dihgence,  and  unrivalled  in  fame,  he 
filled  up  the  residue  (ah,  too  transient!)  of  his  in- 
valuable  days.     But,  as  you  have  truly  been  told, 
though  he  had  withdrawn  from  public  life,  he  was 
not  an  hour  absent  from  the  public  service.    It  did 
not  belong  to  a  man  absorbed  in  his  country's  wel- 
fare, to  look  with  indifference  on  the  course  of  her 
affairs.     Office  he  wanted  none.    None  in  the  gift 
of  the  nation  would  have  moved  him  from  his  pur- 
pose.    He  reserved   himself  for    crises  which  he 
feared  are  approaching;  such  crises,  especially,  as 
may  affect  the  integrity   of  the  union.     How  he 
was  alarmed  by  everything  which  pointed  at  its 
dissolution ;  how  indignant  were  his  feehngs  and 
language  on  that  ungracious  topic ;  how  stern  and 
steady  his  hostility  to  every  influence  which  only 
leaned  toward  the   project,  they  will   attest  with 
whom  he   was   in   habits  of  communication.     In 
every  shape,  it  encountered  his  reprobation  as  un- 
worthy of  a  statesman,  as   fatal  to  America,  and 
desirable  to  the  desperate  alone.     One  of  his  pri- 
mary objects  was  to  consolidate  the  efforts  of  good 
men  in  retarding  a  calamity  which,  after  all,  they 


Death  of  General  Hamilton.  517 

may  be  unable  to  avert ;  but  which  no  partial  nor 
temporary  policy  should  induce  them  to  accelerate. 
To  these  sentiments  must  be  traced  his  hatred  to 
continental  factions ;  his  anxiety  for  the  federal 
constitution,  although,  in  his  judgment,  too  slight 
for  the  pressure  which  it  has  to  sustain ;  his  horror 
of  every  attempt  to  sap  its  foundation,  or  loosen  its 
fabric  ;  his  zeal  to  consecrate  it  in  the  affections  of 
his  fellow-citizens,  that  if  it  fall  at  last,  they  may 
be  pure  from  the  guilt  of  its  overthrow — an  over- 
throw, which  may  be  accomplished  in  an  hour,  but 
of  which  the  woes  may  be  entailed  upon  ages  to 
come. 

With  such  dignified  policy  he  joined  the  most 
intense  application  to  his  professional  duties.  But 
the  description  of  these  is  not  my  province.  How 
he  resolved  the  most  intricate  cases ;  how  he  pur- 
sued general  principles  through  their  various  modi- 
fications ;  how  he  opened  the  fountains  of  justice  ; 
how  he  revered  the  rights  of  property;  how  he 
signalized  himself  in  protecting  the  defenceless ; 
how  judges,  and  jurors,  and  counsel,  and  audience, 
hung  on  his  accents,  let  them  declare  who  have 
intrusted  their  fortunes  to  his  hand ;  let  them  de- 
clare who  have  wondered  that  any  man  should  be 
thought  great  while  Hamilton  appeared  at  the 
American  bar. 

But  enumerations  were  endless.  He  was  born 
to  be  great.     Whoever    was    second,    Hamilton 


518  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

must  be  first.  To  his  stupendous  and  versatile 
mind  no  investigation  was  difficult — no  subject 
presented  which  he  did  not  illuminate.  Superi- 
ority, in  some  particular,  belongs  to  thousands. 
Pre-eminence,  in  whatever  he  chose  to  undertake, 
was  the  prerogative  of  Hamilton.  No  fixed  crite- 
rion could  be  applied  to  his  talents.  Often  has 
their  display  been  supposed  to  have  reached  the 
limit  of  human  effort;  and  the  judgment  stood  firm 
till  set  aside  by  himself.  When  a  cause  of  new 
magnitude  required  new  exertion,  he  rose,  he 
towered,  he  soared ;  surpassing  himself  as  he  sur- 
passed others.  Then  was  nature  tributary  to  his 
eloquence!  Then  was  felt  his  despotism  over  the 
heart!  Touching,  at  his  pleasure,  every  string  of 
pity  or  terror,  of  indignation  or  grief;  he  melted, 
he  soothed,  he  roused,  he  agitated ;  alternately 
gentle  as  the  dews,  and  awful  as  the  thunder.  Yet, 
great  as  he  was  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  he  was 
greater  in  the  eyes  of  those  with  whom  he  was 
most  conversant.  The  greatness  of  most  men,  like 
objects  seen  through  a  mist,  diminishes  with  the 
distance :  but  Hamilton,  hke  a  tower  seen  afar  off 
under  a  clear  sky,  rose  in  grandeur  and  subhmity 
with  every  step  of  approach.  Familiarity  with  him 
was  the  parent  of  veneration.  Over  these  match- 
less talents,  probity  threw  her  brightest  lustre. 
Frankness,  suavity,  tenderness,  benevolence,  breath- 
ed through  their  exercise.     And  to  his  family ! — 


Death  of  Gen  eral  Hamilton.  519 

but  he  is  gone  ;— that  noble  heart  beats  no  more  ; 
that  eje  of  fire  is  dimmed :  and  sealed  are  those 
oracular  lips.  Americans,  the  serencst  beam  of 
your  glorj  is  extinguished  in  the  tomb. 

Fathers,   fricftds,    countrymen !    the    death     of 
Hamilton  is  no  common  affliction.     The  loss  of 
distinguished  men  is  at  all  times  a  calamity;   but 
the  loss  of  such  a  man,  at  such  a  time,  and  in  the 
very  meridian  of  his  usefulness,  is  singularly  porten- 
tous.    When  Washington  was  taken,  Hamilton 
was  left ;  but  Hamilton  is  taken,  and  we  have  no 
Washington.     Wc  have  not  such   another  man 
to  die.   Washington  and  Hamilton  in  five  years  ! 
Bereaved  America!       Thou  art   languishing   be- 
neath the  divine  displeasure.    Let  this  truth  awfully 
impress  my  hearers,  that  when  the  Almighty  God 
is  about  to  shake  terribly  the  earth;  when  he  has 
bidden  scourge  to  follow  scourge,  and  vengeance 
to  press  on  vengeance,  one  of  his  means  is  to  de- 
prive a  nation  of  their  ablest  men.     Thus  bereft 
of  counsel,  their    affairs  run  into   confusion,   and 
bring  forth  misery.     I  invent  nothing;  I  only  re- 
peat the  admonition  of  holy  writ;  For  behold,  the 
Lord,  the  Lord  of  hosts,  doth  take  away  the  mighty 
man,  and  the  man  of  war,  the  judge,  and  the  pfo- 
phet,  and  the  iirudent,  and  the  ancient,  the  captain 
of  ffty  and  the  honorable  man,  and  the  counsellor 
and  the  cunning  artificer,  and  the  eloquent  orator. 
The  disastrous  consequences    are,  impotent  gov- 


520  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

ernors,  and  ruthless  anarchy.  For  the  prophet 
continues:  I  will  give  children  to  he  their  princes^ 
and  hahes  shall  rule  over  them.  And  the  people 
shall  he  oppressed,  every  one  hy  another,  and  every 
one  hy  his  neighhor ;  the  child  shall  T)ehave  himself 
proudly  against  the  ancient,  and  the  hase  against 
the  honor ahle. 

Fathers,  friends,  countrymen !  the  grave  of 
Hamilton  speaks.  It  charges  me  to  remind  you 
that  he  fell  a  victim  not  to  disease  or  accident; 
not  to  the  fortune  of  glorious  warfare ;  but,  how 
shall  I  utter  it  ?  to  a  custom  which  has  no  origin 
but  superstition,  no  aliment  but  depravity,  no 
reason  but  in  madness,  Alas  !  that  he  should  thus 
expose  his  precious  life.  This  was  his  error.  A 
thousand  bursting  hearts  reiterate,  this  was  his 
error.  Shall  I  apologize  ?  I  am  forbidden  by  his 
living  protestations,  by  his  dying  regrets,  by  his 
wasted  blood.  Shall  a  solitary  act  into  which  he 
was  betrayed  and  dragged,  have  the  authority  of  a 
precedent  ?  The  plea  is  precluded  by  the  long 
decisions  of  his  understanding,  by  the  principles 
of  his  conscience,  and  by  the  reluctance  of  his 
heart.  Ah  !  when  will  our  morals  be  purified,  and 
an  imaginary  honor  cease  to  cover  the  most  pesti- 
lent of  human  passions?  My  appeal  is  to  mili- 
tary men.  Your  honor  is  sacred.  Listen.  Is  it 
honorable  to  enjoy  the  esteem  of  the  wise  and 
good?     The  wise  and  good  turn  with  disgust  from 


Death  of  General  Hamilton.  521 

the  man  who  lawlessly  anus  at  his  neighbor's  life. 
Is  it  honorable  to  serve  your  country  ?  That  man 
cruelly  injures  her,  who,  from  private  pique,  calls 
his  fellow  citizen  into  the  dubious  field.  Is  fidel- 
ity honorable  ?  That  man  forswears  his  faith, 
who  turns  against  the  bowels  of  his  countrymen, 
w  capons  put  into  his  hand  for  their  defence.  Are 
generosity,  humanity,  sympathy,  honorable?  That 
man  is  superlatively  base,  who  mingles  the  tears 
of  the  widow  and  orphan,  with  the  blood  of  a 
husband  and  father.  Do  refinement,  and  courtesy, 
and  benignity,  entwine  with  the  laurels  of  the 
brave  ?  The  blot  is  yet  to  be  wiped  from  the 
soldier's  name,  that  he  cannot  treat  his  brother 
with  the  decorum  of  a  gentleman,  unless  the  pis- 
tol or  the  dagger  be  every  moment  at  his  heart. 
Let  the  votaries  of  honor  now  look  at  their  deeds. 
Let  them  compare  their  doctrine  with  this  horri- 
ble comment.  Ah!  what  avails  it  to  a  distracted 
nation  that  Hamilton  was  murdered  for  a  punc- 
tilio of  honor  \  My  flesh  shivers  !  Is  this  indeed 
our  state  of  society  ?  Are  transcendent  worth  and 
talent  to  be  a  capital  indictment  before  the  tribu- 
nal of  amljition  \  Is  the  angel  of  death  to  record, 
for  sanguinary  retribution,  every  word  which  the 
collision  of  political  opinion  may  extort  from  a 
political  man  ?  Are  integrity  and  candor  to  be  at 
the  mercy  of  the  assassin?  And  systematic  crime 
to  trample  under  foot,  or  smite  into  the  grave,  all 


522  Funeral  Oration  on  the 

that  is  yet  venerable  in  our  humbled  land  I  My 
countrymen,  the  land  is  defiled  with  blood  unright- 
eously shed.  Its  cry,  disregarded  on  earth,  has 
gone  up  to  the  throne  of  God  ;  and  this  day  does 
our  punishment  reveal  our  sin.  It  is  time  for  us 
to  awake.  The  voice  of  moral  virtue,  the  voicB  of 
domestic  alarm,  the  voice  of  the  fatherless  and 
widow,  the  voice  of  a  nation's  wrong,  the  voice  of 
Hamilton's  blood,  the  voice  of  impending  judg- 
ment, calls  for  a  remedy.  At  this  hour,  Heaven's 
high  reproof  is  sounding  from  Maine  to  Georgia, 
and  from  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic  to  the  banks 
of  the  Mississippi.  If  we  refuse  obedience,  every 
drop  of  blood  spilled  in  single  combat,  will  he  at 
our  door,  and  will  be  recompensed  when  our  cup 
is  full.  We  have  then  our  choice,  either  to  coerce 
iniquity,  or  prepare  for  desolation;  and  in  the 
mean  time  to  n}ake  our  nation,  though  infant  in 
years,  yet  mature  in  vice,  the  scorn  and  the  abhor- 
rence of  civihzed  man  ? 

Fathers,  friends,  countrymen  !  the  dying  breath 
of  Hamilton  recommended  to  you  the  Christian's 
hope.  His  single  testimony  outweighs  all  the 
cavils  of  the  sciolist,  and  all  the  jeers  of  the  pro- 
fane. Who  will  venture  to  pronounce  a  fable, 
that  doctrine  of  life  and  immortality,  which  his 
profound  and  irradiating  mind  embraced  as  the 
truth  of  God?  When  you  are  to  die,  you  will 
find  no  source  of  peace  but  in  the  faith  of  Jesus. 


Death  of  'General  Hamilton.  523 

Cultivate  for  your  present  repose  and  your  future 
consolation,  what  our  departed  friend  declared  to 
be  the  support  of  his  expiring  moments:  "A  tender 
reliance  on  the  mercies  of  the  Almighty,  through 
the  merits  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

Hamilton  !  we  will  cherish  thy  memory,  we 
will  embalm  thy  fame !  Fare  thee  well,  thou  un- 
paralleled man,  farewell — for  ever ! 


APPENDIX. 


To  the  Editor  of  the  Cofnmercial  Advertiser. 

Sir, 

Having  read,  in  your  paper  of  the  16th,  a  very  imperfect  account 
of  my  conversation  with  General  Hamilton,  the  day  previous  to  his 
decease,  I  judge  it  my  duty  to  lay  the  following  narrative  before  the 
public. 

On  the  morning  of  Wednesday,  the  11th  inst.  shortly  after  the 
rumor  of  the  General's  injury  had  created  an  alarm  in  the  city,  a 
note  from  Dr.  Post  informed  me  that  "he  was  extremely  ill  at 
Mr.  Wm.  Bayard's,  and  expressed  a  particular  desire  to  see  me  as 
soon  as  possible."  I  went  immediately.  The  exchange  of  melan- 
choly salutation,  on  entering  the  General's  apartment,  was  succeeded 
by  a  silence  which  he  broke  by  saying,  that  he  "had  been  anxious 
to  see  me,  and  have  the  sacrament  administered  to  him ;  and  that 
this  was  still  his  wish."  I  replied,  that  "  it  gave  me  unutterable 
pain  to  receive  from  him  any  request  to  which  I  could  not  accede  : 
that,  in  the  present  instance,  a  compliance  was  incompatible  with 
all  my  obligations ;  as  it  is  a  principle  in  our  churches  never  to 
administer  the  Lord's  supper  privately  to  any  person  under  any 
circumstances."  He  urged  me  no  further.  I  then  remarked  to 
him,  that  "the  holy  communion  is  an  exhibition  and  pledge  of  the 
mercies  which  the  Son  of  God  has  purchased  ;  that  the  absence  of 
the  sign  does  not  exclude  from  the  mercies  signified  ;  which  were 
accessible  to  him  by  faith  in  their  gracious  Author."  "  I  am  aware," 
said  he,  "  of  that.  It  is  only  as  a  sign  tliat  I  wanted  it."  A  short 
pause  ensued.  I  resumed  the  discourse,  by  observing  that  "I  had 
nothing  to  address  to  him  in  his  afidiction,  but  that  same  Gospel  of 
the  grace  of  God,  which  it  is  my  office  to  preach  to  the  most  obscure 
and  illiterate:  that  in  the  sight  of  God  all  men  are  on  a  level, 
as  all  have  sinned,  and  come  short  of  his  glory ;  and  that  they  mnst 


Appendix.  525 

apply  to  him  for  pardon  and  life,  as  sinners,  whose  only  refuge 
is  in  his  grace  reigning  by  righteousness  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."  "I  perceive  it  to  be  so,"  said  he  ;  "I  am  a  sinner:  I  look 
to  his  mercy."  I  then  adverted  to  "the  infinite  merit  of  the 
Redeemer,  as  the  propitiation  for  sin,  the  sole  ground  of  our 
acceptance  with  God  ;  the  sole  channel  of  his  favor  to  us  ;  and  cited 
the  following  passages  of  scripture ,  There  is  no  other  name  given' 
under  heaven  ajnong  men,  v:herehy  we  must  be  saved,  hut  the  name  of 
Jesus.  He  is  able  to  save  them  to  the  uttermost  who  come  unto  God  by 
him,  seeing  he  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for  them.  The  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ  cleanscih  from  all  sin."  This  last  passage  introduced 
the  affiiir  of  the  duel,  on  which  I  reminded  the  General,  that  he 
was  not  to  be  instructed  as  to  its  moral  aspect,  that  the  precious  blood 
of  Christ  was  as  effectual  and  aa  necessary  to  wash  away  the 
transgression  which  had  involved  liim  in  suffering,  as  any  other 
transgression  ;  and  that  he  nmst  there,  and  there  alone,  seek  peace 
for  his  conscience,  and  a  hope  that  should  "  not  make  him  ashamed." 
He  assented,  with  strong  emotion,  to  these  representations,  and 
declared  his  abhorrence  of  the  whole  transaction..  "  It  was  always," 
added  he,  "  against  my  principles.  •  1  used  every  expedient  to  avoid 
the  intei-view;  but  I  have  found,  for  some  time  past,  that  my  life 
must  be  exposed  to  that  man.  I  went  to  the  field  determined  not 
to  take  his  life."  He  repeated  his  disavowal  of  all  intention  to  hurt 
Mr.  Burr ;  the  anguish  of  his  mind  in  recollecting  what  had  passed ; 
and  his  humble  hope  of  forgiveness  from  his  God.  I  recurred  to 
the  topic  of  the  divine  compassions ;  the  freedom  of  pardon  in  the 
Redeemer  Jesus  to  pei-ishing  sinners.  "  That  grace,  my  dear 
General,  which  brings  salvation,  is  rich,  rich." — "  Yes,"  interrupted 
he,  "it  is  rich  grace." — "And  on  that  grace,''  continued  I,  "a 
sinner  has  the  highest  encouragement  to  repose  his  confidence, 
because  it  is  tendered  to  him  upon  the  surest  foundation  ;  the  scrip- 
ture testifying  that  we  have  redemption  through  the  blood  of  Jesus, 
the  forgiveness  of  sins  according  to  the  riches  of  his  grace. ' '  Here  the 
General ,  letting  go  my  hand,  which  he  had  held  from  the  moment  1 
sat  down  at  his  bedside,  clasped  his  hands  together,  and,  looking  up 
towards  heaven,  said,  with  emphasis,  "  I  have  a  tender  reliance  on 
the  mercy  of  the  Almighty,  thi-ough  the  merits  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ."    He  replaced  his  hand  in  mine,  and  appearing  somewhat 


J 


526  Apjyendix. 

spent,  closed  his  eyes.  A  little  after,  he  fastened  them  on  me,  and 
I  proceeded.  "The  simple  truths  of  the  Gospel,  my  dear  sir,  which 
require  no  abstruse  investigation,  but  faith  in  the  veracity  of  God 
who  cannot  lie,  are  best  suited  to  your  present  condition,  and  they 
are  full  of  consolation." — "  I  feel  them  to  be  so,"  replied  he.  I 
then  repeated  these  texts  of  scripture :  It  is  a  faithful  sarjing,  and 
worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save 
sinners,  and  of  sinners  the  chief  I,  even  I,  am  he  that  blottcth  out  thy 
transgressions  for  mine  own  sake,  and  loill  not  remember  thy  sins. 
Come  mm,  and  let  us  reason  together,  saith  the  Lord;  though  your 
sins  be  as  scarlet,  they  shall  be  white  as  snow;  though  they  be  red  like 
crimson,  they  shall  be  as  wool.  "This,"  said  he,  "is  my  support. 
Pray  for  me." — "Shall  I  pray  with  you?" — "Yes."  I  prayed 
with  him,  and  heard  him  whisper  as  I  went  along;  which  I 
supposed  to  be  his  concurrence  with  the  petitions.  At  the  conclu- 
sion he  said,  "Amen.     God  grant  it." 

Being  about  to  part  with  him,  I  told  him,  "I  had  one  request  to 
make."  He  asked  "  what  it  was!"  1  answered,  "that  whatever 
might  be  the  issue  of  his  affliction,  he  would  give  his  testimony 
against  the  practice  of  dueling." — "  1  will,"  said  he,  "I  have  done  it. 
If  that,"  evidently  anticipating  the  event,  "  if  that  be  the  issue,  you 
will  find  it  in  writing.  If  it  please  God  that  T  recover,  I  shall  do  it 
in  a  manner  which  will  effectually  put  me  out  of  its  reach  in  future." 
I  mentioned,  once  more,  the  importance  of  renouncing  every  other 
dependence  for  the  eternal  world,  but  the  mercy  of  God  in  Christ 
Jesus ;  with  a  particular  reference  to  the  catastrophe  of  the  morning. 
The  General  was  affected,  and  said,  "Let  us  not  pursue  the  subject 
any  further,  it  agitates  me."  He  laid  his  hands  upon  his  breast, 
with  symptoms  of  uneasiness,  which  indicated  an  increased  difficulty 
of  speaking.  I  then  took  my  leave.  He  pressed  my  hand  affec- 
tionately, and  desired  to  see  me  again  at  a  proper  interval.  As  I 
was  retiring,  he  lifted  up  his  hands  in  the  attitude  of  prayer,  and 

said  feebly,  "God  be  merciful  to ."     His  voice  sunk,  so  that^ 

I  heard  not  the  rest  distinctly,  but  understood  him  to  quote  tHe 
words  of  the  publican  in  the  Gospel,  and  to  end  the  sentence  with, 
"me  a  sinner." 

I  saw  him,  a  second  time,  on  the  morning  of  Thursday ;  but  from 
his  appearance,  and  what  I  had  heard,  supposing  that  he  could  not 


Appendix.  527 

speak  without  severe  effort,  I  had  no  conversation  with  him.  1 
prayed  for  a  moment  at  his  bedside,  in  company  with  his  over- 
whelmed family  and  friends;  and  for  the  rest,  was  one  of  the 
mom'ning  spectators  of  his  composure  and  dignity  in  suffering.  His 
mind  remained  in  its  former  state  ;  and  he  viewed  with  calmness  his 
approaching  dissolution.  I  left  him  between  twelve  and  one,  and 
at  two,  as  the  public  know,  he  breathed  his  last. 
I  am,  sir. 

With  much  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

J.  M.  MASON. 
New  York.  July  ISth,  1804. 


THE 


VOICE    OF    WARNING 


CHRISTIANS 


THE    ENSUING     ELECTION 


OF    ^ 


PRESIDENT   OF   THE   UNITED   STATES. 


BLOW    THE    TRUMPET    IN    ZION. — WHO    IS    ON    THE    LORd's    SIDE? 


VOL.  IV.     34 


TO  CHRISTIANS, 

WHO    PRIZE    A    GOOD    CONSCIENCE,    A    CONSISTENT    CHARACTER, 

AND    THE     HONOR    OF    THEIR    REDEEMER, 

ABOVE    ALL    PERSONAL    AxMD    POLITICAL    ATTACHMENTS, 

THE    FOLLOWING    PAMPHLET 

IS    dedicated; 

WITH    THE    SINGLE    REQUEST,    THAT,    LAYING    ASIDE    PASSION, 

THEY    WILL    GIVE    IT    SUCH 

A    CALM,    SERIOUS,    AND    CONSIDERATE    PERUSAL, 

AS  THEY  OWE    TO  AN  ARGUMENT  RELATIVE  TO  THE  BEST  INTERESTS 

OF    THEMSELVES,    THEIR    FAMILIES,    THEIR    COUNTRY, 

AND    THE    CHURCH    OF    GOD. 

JVew  York,  September,  1800. 


THE 


VOICE    OF    WARNING, 


ETC. 


If  a  manly  attempt  to  avert  national  min,  by 
exposing  a  favorite  error,  should  excite  no  resent- 
ment, nor  draw  any  obloquy  upon  its  author,  there 
would  certainly  be  a  new  thing  under  the  sun. 
Men  pan  seldom  bear  contradiction.  They  bear 
it  least  when  they  are  most  demonstrably  wrong ; 
because,  having  surrendered  their  judgment  to  pre- 
judice, or  their  conscience  to  design,  they  must 
take  refuge  in  obstinacy  from  the  att^icks  of  reason. 
The  bad,  dreading  nothing  so  much  as  the  preva- 
lence of  pure  principle  and  virtuous  habit,  will  ever 
be  industrious  in  counteracting  it,  and  the  more 
candid,  rational,  and  convincing  the  means  em- 
ployed in  its  behalf,  the  louder  will  be  their  clamor, 
and  the  fiercer  their  opposition.  On  the  other 
hand,  good  men  are  often  led  insensibly  astray,  and 
their  very  honesty  becomes  the  guaranty  of  their 
delusion.     Unaware,  at  first,  of  their  inconsistency, 


534  The  Voice  of  Warning. 

they  afterwards  shrink  from  the  test  of  their,  own 
profession.  Startled  by  remonstrance,  but  unpre- 
pared to  recede ;  checked  by  the  misgivings  of 
their  own  minds,  yet  urged  on  by  their  previous 
purpose  and  coiyiection,  the  conflict  renders  them 
irritable,  and  they  mark  as  their  enemy  whoever 
tells  them  the  truth.  From  the  coincidence  of 
such  a  bias  with  the  views  of  the  profligate  and 
daring,  results  incalculable  mischief  The  sympa- 
thy of  a  common  cause  unites  the  persons  engaged 
in  it ;  the  shades  of  exterior  character  gradually 
disappear :  virtue  sinks  from  her  glory ;  vice 
emerges  from  her  infamy  ;  the  best  and  the  basest 
appear  nearly  on  a  level ;  while  the  most  atrocious 
principles  either  lose  their  horror  or  have  a  veil 
thrown  over  them  ;  and  the  man  who  endeavors 
to  arrest  their  course  is  singled  out  as  a  victim  to 
revenge  and  madness.  Such,  from  the  beginning, 
has  been  the  course  of  the  world.  None  of  its 
benefactors  hjive  escaped  its  calumnies  and  per- 
secutions; not  prophets,  not  apostles,  not  the  Sou 
of  God  himself  To  this  treatment,  therefore, 
must  every  one  be  reconciled,  who  labors  to  pro- 
mote the  best  interests  of  his  country.  He  must 
stake  his  popularity  against  his  integrity ;  he  must 
encounter  a  policy  which  will  be  contented  with 
nothing  short  of  his  ruin ;  and  if  it  may  not  spill 
his  blood,  will  strive  to  overwhelm  him  with  public 
execration.      That  this  is  the  spirit  which  has  pur- 


The  Voice  of  Warning.  535 

sued  a  writer,  the  purity  of  whose  views  is  equalled 
only  by  their  importance — I  mean  the  author  of 
"  Serious  Considei^ations  on  the  Election  of  a  Pre- 
sident"— I  need  not  inform  any  who  inspect  the 
gazettes.  To  lay  before  the  people  of  the  United 
States  proofs  that  a  candidate  for  the  office  of  their 
first  magistrate  is  an  unbeliever  in  the  Scriptures, 
and  that  to  confer  such  a  distinction  upon  an  open 
enemy  to  their  religion,  their  Redeemer,  and  their 
hope,  would  be  mischief  to  themselves  and  sin 
against  God,  is  a  crime  never  to  be  forgiven  by  a 
class  of  men  too  numerous  for  our  peace  or  pros- 
perity. The  infidels  have  risen  en  masse,  and  it 
is  not  through  their  moderation  that  he  retains  any 
portion  of  his  respectabihty  or  his  usefulness.  But 
in  their  wrath  there  is  nothing  to  deprecate ;  nor 
does  he  deserve  the  name  of  a  Christian,  who,  in 
order  to  avoid  it,  would  deviate  a  hair's  breadth 
from  his  duty.  For  them  I  write  not.  Impene- 
trable by  serious  pi-inciple,  they  are  not  objects  of 
expostulation,  but  of  compassion  ;  nor  shall  I  stoop 
to  any  solicitude  about  their  censure  or  applause. 

But  do  I  represent  as  infidels  all  who  befriend 
Mr.  Jefferson's  election  ?  God  forbid  that  I  should 
so  "  lie  against  the  truth."  If  I  thought  so,  I  should 
mourn  in  silence;  my  pen  should  slumber  for  ever. 
That  a  majority  of  them  profess,  and  that  multi- 
tudes of  them  really  love,  the  religion  of  Jesus, 
while   it  is  my  terror,  is   also  my  hope.     Terror, 


536  The  Voice  of  Warning. 

because  I  believe  them  to  be  under  a  fatal  mistake ; 
hope,  because  thej,  if  any,  are  within  the  reach  of 
conviction.  I  address  myself  to  them.  The  latter, 
especially,  are  my  brothers,  by  dearer  ties  and 
higher  interests  than  can  be  created  or  destroyed 
by  any  pohtical  connection.  And  if  it  be  asked, 
Why  mingle  religion  with  questions  of  pohcy? 
Why  irritate  by  opposition  ?  Why  risk  the  excite- 
ment of  passions  which  may  dissever  but  cannot 
aid,  the  common  Christianity  ?  Why  not  maintain 
a  prudent  reserve,  and  permit  matters  of  state  to 
take  their  own  course?  I  answer,  because  Chris- 
tians are  deeply  engaged  already ;  because  the 
principles  of  the  gospel  are  to  regulate  their  politi- 
cal as  well  as  their  other  conduct;  because  their 
Christian  character,  profession,  and  prosperity,  are 
involved  in  the  issue.  This  is  no  hour  to  tempo- 
rise. I  abhor  that  coward  spirit  which  vaunts 
when  gliding  down  the  tide  of  opinion,  but  shrinks 
from  the  returning  current,  and  calls  the  treason 
prudence.  It  is  the  voice  of  God's  providence  not 
less  than  of  his  own  word,  "  Cry  aloud,  spare  not; 
Hft  up  thy  voice  like  a  trumpet,  and  show  my  people 
their  transgression,  and  the  house  of  Jacob  their 
sins."  With  Christians,  therefore,  I  must  expostu- 
late ;  and  may  not  refrain.  However  they  may  be 
displeased,  or  threaten,  I  will  say  with  the  Athe- 
nian chief,  "  Strike,  hut  hear  mer 

Fellow  Christians, — A  crisis  of  no  common  mag- 


The  Voice  of  Warning.  537 

nitude  awaits  our  country.  The  approaching 
election  of  a  President,  is  to  decide  a  question  not 
merely  of  preference  to  an  eminent  individual,  or 
particular  views  of  policy,  but,  what  is  infinitely 
more,  of  national  regard  or  disregard  to  the  reli- 
gion of  Jesus  Christ.  Had  the  choice  been 
between  two  infidels,  or  two  professed  Christians, 
the  point  of  politics  would  be  untouched  by  me. 
Nor,  though  opposed  to  Mr.  Jefferson,  am  I  to  be 
regarded  as  a  partisan  ;  since  the  principle  which 
I  am  about  to  develope,  wdll  be  equally  unaccepta- 
ble to  many  on  both  sides  of  the  question.  I 
dread  the  election  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  because  I 
believe  him  to  be  a  confirmed  infidel :  you  desire 
it,  because,  while  he  is  politically  acceptable,  you 
either  doubt  this  fact,  or  do  not  consider  it  essen- 
tial.    Let  us,  like  brethren,  reason  this  matter. 

The  general  opinion  rarely  if  ever  mistakes  a 
character  which  private  pursuits  and  public  func- 
tions have  placed  in  different  attitudes;  yet  it  is 
frequently  formed  upon  circumstances  which  elude 
the  grasp  of  argument,  even  while  they  make  a 
powerful  and  just  impression.  Notwithstanding, 
therefore,  the  belief  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  infidelity, 
which  has  for  years  been  uniform  and  strong, 
wherever  his  character  has  been  a  subject  of  spec- 
ulation ;  although  that  infidehty  has  been  boasted 
by  some,  lamented  by  many,  and  undisputed  by 
all,  yet  as  it  is  now  denied  by  his  friends,  the 


538  The  Voice  of  Warning. 

charge,  unsupported  by  other  proof,  could  hardly 
be  pursued  to  conviction.  Happily  for  truth  and 
for  us,  Mr.  Jefferson  has  written,  he  has  'printed. 
While  I  shall  not  decline  auxihary  testimony,  I 
appeal  to  what  he  never  retracted,  and  will  not 
deny,  his  Notes  on  Virginia.'^ 

In  their  war  upon  revelation,  infidels  have 
levelled  their  batteries  against  the  miraculous  facts 
of  the  Scripture,  well  knowing  that  if  its  historical 
truth  can  be  overturned,  there  is  an  end  of  its  claim 
to  inspiration.  But  God  has  protected  his  word. 
Particularly  the  universal  deluge,  the  most  stu- 
pendous miracle  of  the  Old  Testament,  is  fortified 
with  impregnable  evidence.  The  globe  teems 
with  demonstrations  of  it.  Every  mountain,  and 
hill,  and  valley,  lifts  up  its  voice  to  confirm  the 
narrative  of  Moses.  The  very  researches  and 
discoveries  of  infidels  themselves,  contrary  to  their 
intentions,  their  wishes,  and  their  hopes,  arc  here 
compelled  to  range  behind  the  banner  of  the  Bible. 
To  attack,  therefore,  the  scriptural  account  of  the 
delage,  belongs  only  to  the  most  desperate  infi- 
delity. Now,  what  will  you  think  of  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son's Christianity,  if  he  has  advanced  positions 
which  strike  directly  at  the  truth  of  God's  word 
concerning  that  wonderful  event  ?  Let  him  speak 
for  himself:  "  It  is  said  that  shells  are  found  in  the 

*  The  edition  which  I  use  is  the  second  American  edition,  pub- 
lished at  Philadelphia,  by  Matthew  Carey,  1794. 


The  Voice  of  Warning.  539 

Andes,  in  South  America,  fifteen  thousand  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  ocean.  This  is  considered 
by  many,  both  of  the  learned  and  unlearned,  as  a 
proof  of  an  universal  deluge.  But  to  the  many 
co7isiderations  oiiposing  this  opinion,  the  following 
may  be  added :  The  atmosphere  and  all  its  con- 
tents, whether  of  water,  air,  or  other  matters,  gravi- 
tate to  the  earth  ;  that  is  to  say,  they  have  weight. 
Experience  tells  us,  that  the  weight  of  all  these 
columns  together  never  exceeds  that  of  a  column 
of  mercury  thirty-one  inches  high.  If  the  whole 
contents  of  the  atmosphere,  then,  were  water,  in- 
stead of  what  they  are,  it  would  cover  the  globe 
hut  thirty  five  feet  deep:  but,  as  these  waters,  as 
they  fell,  would  run  into  the  seas,  the  superficial 
measure  of  which  is  to  that  of  the  dry  parts  of  the 
globe,  as  two  to  one,  the  seas  would  be  raised  only 
fifty-two  and  a  half  feet  above  their  present  level, 
and  of  course  would  overflow  the  land  to  that 
height  only.  In  Virginia  this  would  be  a  very 
small  proportion  even  of  the  champaign  country, 
the  banks  of  our  tide -waters  being  frequently,  if 
not  generally,  of  a  greater  height.  Deluges 
beyond  this  extent  then,  as  for  instance,  to  the 
North  Mountain,  or  to  Kentucky,  seem  out  of  the 
laws  of  nature.  But  within  it  they  may  have 
taken  place  to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  in  propor- 
tion to  the  combination  of  natural  causes  which 
may  be  supposed  to  have  produced  them.      But 


540  The  Voice  of  Warning. 

such  deluges  as  these  will  not  account  for  the 
shells  found  in  the  higher  lands.  A  second  opin- 
ion has  been  entertained,  which  is,  that  in  times 
anterior  to  the  records  either  of  history  or  tra- 
dition, the  bed  of  the  ocean,  the  principal  resi- 
dence of  the  shelled  tribes,  has,  by  some  great 
convulsion  of  nature,  been  heaved  to  the  heights 
at  which  we  now  find  shells  and  other  remains  of 
marine  animals.  The  favorers  of  this  opinion  do 
well  to  suppose  the  great  events  on  ivhich  it  rests, 
to  have  taken  place  heyond  all  the  ceras  of  history; 
for  ivithin  these  certainly  none  such  can  he  found; 
and  we  may  venture  to  say  further,  that  no  fact 
has  taken  place  either  in  our  own  days,  or  in  the 
thousands  of  years  recorded  in  history,  which 
proves  the  existence  of  any  natural  agents  within 
or  without  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  of  force  suffi- 
cient to  heave  to  the  height  of  fifteen  thousand 
feet,  such  masses  as  the  Andes."*  After  mention- 
ing another  opinion  proposed  by  Voltaire,  Mr.  J. 
proceeds:  "There  is  a  wonder  somewhere.  Is  it 
greatest  on  this  branch  of  the  dilemma;  on  that 
which  supposes  the  existence  of  a  power  of  which 
we  have  no  evidence  in  any  other  case;  or  on  the 
first  which  requires  us  to  believe  the  creation  of  a 
body  of  water,  and  its  subsequent  annihilation?" 
Rejecting  the  whim  of  Voltaire,  he  concludes, 
that  '^the  three  hypotheses  are  equally  xuisatisfac- 

*  Jefferson's  Notes  on  Virginiix,  p.  39-41. 


The  Voice  of  Warning.  54J 

tory,  and  ive  must  be  contented  to  acknowledge  that 
this  great  phenomenon  is,  as  yet,  tmsolved."* 

On  these  extracts  I  cannot  suppress  the  follow- 
reflections  : 

1.  Mr.  Jefferson  disbelieves  the  existence  of  an 
universal  deluge.  "  There  are  many  considera- 
tions," says  he,  "  opposing  this  opinion."  The 
Bible  says  expressly,  "  The  waters  j^revailed  exceed- 
ingly upon  the  earth,  and  all  the   high   hiltls 

THAT      WERE       UNDER      THE      WHOLE      HEAVEN      lOCre 

covered."\  Mr.  Jefferson  enters  into  a  philosophi- 
cal argument  to  prove  the  fact  impossible  ;  that  is, 
he  argues  in  the  very  face  of  God's  word,  and,  as 
far  as  his  reasoning  goes,  endeavors  to  convict  it 
of  falsehood. 

2.  Mr.  Jefferson's  concession  of  the  probability 
of  deluges  within  certain  limits,  does  not  rank 
him  with  those  great  and  good  men  who  have 
supposed  the  deluge  to  be  partial,  because  his 
argument  concludes  against  the  Scriptural  narra- 
tive, even  upon  that  supposition.  He  will  not  ad- 
mit his  partial  deluges  to  rise  above  fifty-two  and 
a  half  feet  above  the  level  of  the  ocean.  Whereas 
the  Scripture,  circumscribe  its  deluge  as  you  will, 
asserts  that  the  waters  were  fifteen  cubits  (twentj^- 
seven  and  a  half  feet,  nearly)  above  the  mountains.X 

3.  Not  satisfied  with  this  argument,  Mr.  Jefifer- 

*  Jefferson's  Notes  on  Virginia,  p.  42. 

t  Gen.  vii.  19.  %  Gen.  v.  20. 


542  The  Voice  of  Warning. 

son  sneers  at  the  Scripture  itself,  and  at  the  credu- 
lity of  those  who,  relying  upon  its  testimony,  beheve 
"that  the  bed  of  the  ocean  has,  bv  some  great 
convulsion  of  nature,  been  heaved  to  the  heights  at 
which  we  now  find  shells  and  other  remains  of  ma- 
rine animals."  "  The  1/ do  iveil,"  sa.y she,  ''to  suppose 
the  great  events  on  which  it  rests  to  have  taken 
place  beyond  all  the  ceras  of  history ;  for  within 

THESE    none    such    ARE    TO    BE    FOUND."       ludccd ! 

And  so  our  faith  in  God's  word  is  to  dwindle,  at 
the  touch  of  a  profane  philosopher,  into  an 
"opinion,"  unsupported  by  either  "history  or  tra- 
dition V  All  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep,  saith 
the  Scripture,  were  broken  up.*  Was  this  no 
"great  convulsion  of  nature  1"  Could  not  this 
"  heave  the  bed  of  the  ocean  to  the  height  at  which 
we  now  find  shells  ?"  But  the  favorers  of  this 
opinion  suppose  the  great  events  on  ichich  it  7-ests 
to  have  taken  place  beyond  all  the  ceras  of  history. 
And  they  do  well,  says  Mr.  Jefferson :  the  plain 
meaning  of  which  is,  that  their  error  would  cer- 
tainly be  detected  if  they  did  not  retreat  into  the 
darkness  of  fable.  Malignant  sarcasm  !  And  who 
are  "  the  favorers  of  this  opinion  V  At  least  all 
who  embrace  the  Holy  Scriptures.  These  do  de- 
clare most  unequivocally  that  there  was  such  a 
"great  convulsion  of  nature"  as  produced  a  deluge 
infinitely  more  formidable  than  Mr.  Jefferson's  phi- 

*  Gen.  vii.  11. 


The  Voice  of  Warning.  643 

losophy  can  digest.  But  he  will  not  so  much  as 
allow  them  to  be  history :  he  degrades  them  even 
below  tradition.  We  talk  of  times  for  our  flood,  he 
tells  us,  "  anterior  to  the  records  either  of  history  or 
tradition."  Nor  will  it  mend  the  matter,  to  urge 
that  he  alludes  only  to  profane  history.  The  fact 
could  not  be  more  dubious  or  less  deserving  a 
place  in  the  system  of  philosophy,  from  the  attesta- 
tion of  infallible  truth.  And  is  this  truth  to  be 
spurned  as  no  history;'  as  not  even  tradition?  It 
is  thus,  Christians,  that  a  man  whom  you  are  ex- 
pected to  elevate  to  the  chief  magistracy,  insults 
yourselves  and  your  Bible.* 

*  Nay,  as  it  is  only  the  Scripture  which  authenticates  the  popu- 
lar belief  of  an  universal  deluge,  Mr.  Jefferson's  insinuation  caa 
hardly  have  any  meaning,  if  it  be  not  an  oblique  stroke  at  the  Bible 
itself.  Nothing  can  be  more  silly,  than  the  pretext  that  he  showa 
the  insufficiency  of  natural  causes  to  effect  the  deluge,  with  a  view 
of  supporting  the  credit  of  the  miracle.  His  difficulty  is  not  to 
account  for  the  deluge :  he  denies  that ;  but  for  the  shells  on  the  top 
of  the  Andes.  If  he  believed  in  the  deluge,  natural  or  miraculous"* 
the  difficulty  would  cease  :  he  would  say  at  ouce,  TJie  flood  threw 
them  there.  But  as  he  tells  us,  "  this  great  phenomenon  is,  as  yet,  un- 
solved" it  is  clear  that  he  does  not  believe  in  the  deluge  at  all ;  for 
this  "  solves  "  his  "  phenomenon  "  most  effectually.  And  for  whom 
does  Mr.  J.  write  ?  For  Christians  ?  None  of  them  ever  dreamed 
that  the  deluge  was  caused  by  anything  else  than  a  miracle.  For 
infidels  ?  Why  then  does  he  not  tell  them  that  the  Scripture  alone 
gives  the  true  solution  of  this  "  great  phenomenon  "?  The  plain  matter 
of  fact  is,  that  he  writes  like  all  other  infidels,  who  admit  nothing  for 
which  they  cannot  find  adequate  "  natural  agents  ;"  and  when  these 
fail  them,  instead  of  resoi-ting  to  the  divine  word,  which  would 
often  satisfy  a  modest  inquirer,  by  revealing  the"  arm  of  jehovah," 


544  The  Voice  of  Warning. 

4.  Mr.  Jefferson's  argument  against  the  flood  is, 
in  substance,  the  very  argument  by  which  infidels 
have  attacked  the  credibility  of  the  Mosaic  his- 
tory. They  have  always  objected,  the 'insuffi- 
ciency of  water  to  effect  such  a  deluge  as  that 
described.  Mr.  J.  knew  this,  yet  he  adopted  and 
repeated  it.  He  does  not  deign  so  much  as  to 
mention  Moses;  while  through  the  sides  of  one  of 
his  hypotheses,  he  strikes  at  the  scriptural  history. 
He  winds  up  with  pronouncing  all  the  three  to  be 
^'equally  unsatisfactory;"  thus  reducing  the  holy 
volume  to  a  level  with  the  dreams  of  Voltaire! 
Let  me  ask  any  Christian,  would  you  dare  to  ex- 
press yourself  in  a  similar  manner,  upon  a  subject 
which  has  received  the  decision  of  the  living 
God  \  Would  you  patiently  hear  one  of  your 
neighbors  speak  so  irreverently  of  his  oracles  ? 
Could  you  venture  to  speculate  on  the  deluge 
without  resorting  to  them  \  Would  you  not  shud- 
der at  the  thought  of  using,  in  support  of  a  philo- 
sophical opinion,  the  arguments  w^hich  infidels 
bring  against  that  Word  which  is  the  source  of 
all  your  consolation;  much  more  to  use  them 
without  a  hsp  of  respect  for  it,  or  of  caution 
against  mistake  ?  Can  he  believe  the  Bible  who 
does  all  this?     Can  an  infidel  do  more  without 


they  shrug  up  their  shoulders,  and  ciy,  "  Ignorance  is  preferable  to 
error."* 
♦  Notes  on  Virginia,  p.  42. 


The  Voice  of  Warning.  545 

directly  assailing  it?     What  then  must  you  think 
of  Mr.  Jefferson  1 

But  it  was  not  enough  for  this  gentleman  to 
discredit  the  story  of  the  deluge.  He  has  ad- 
vanced a  step  farther,  and  has  indicated  too 
plainly,  his  disbehef  in  the  common  origin  of  man- 
kind. The  Scriptures  teach  that  all  nations  are 
the  offspring  of  the  first  and  single  pair,  Adam 
and  Eve,  whom  God  created  and  placed  in  para- 
dise. This  fact,  interwoven  with  all  the  relations 
and  all  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible,  is  ahke  essential 
to  its  historical  and  religious  truth.  Now,  what 
says  the  candidate  for  the  chair  of  your  president  ? 
After  an  ingenious,  lengthy,  and  elaborate  argu- 
ment to  prove  that  the  blacks  are  naturally  and 
morally  inferior  both  to  white  and  red  men;  and 
that  "  their  inferiority  is  not  the  effect  merely  of 
their  condition  of  hfe,"*  he  observes,  "  I  advance 
it,  therefore,  as  a  suspicion  only,  that  the  blacks, 
whether  originally  a  distinct  race,  or  made  dis- 
tinct hy  time  and  circumstances,  are  inferior  to  the 
whites  in  the  endowments  both  of  body  and  mind."t 
He  had  before  asserted,  that,  "  besides  those  of 
color,  figure,  and  hair,  there  are  other  physical 
distinctions,  proving  a  difference  of  race. "J 
He  does,  indeed,  discover  some  compunction  in 
reflecting  on  the  consequences  of  his  philosophy. 
For  to  several  reasons  why  his  opinion  "  must  be 

*  Notes  on  Virginia,  p.  205.         f  lb.  209.         %  lb.  201. 

VOL.  IV.     35 


546  The  Voice  of  Warning. 

hazarded  with  great  diffidence,"  he  adds,  "as  a  cir- 
cumstance of  great  tenderness,"  that  the  "  conclu- 
sion" to  which  his  observations  lead,  "would  degrade 
a  whole  race  of  men  from  the  rank  in  the  scale  of  be- 
ings which  their  Creator  may  perhaps  have  given 
themr^  Much  pains  have  been  taken  to  persuade 
the  pubhc  that  Mr.  Jefferson,  by  "distinct  race"  and 
"  difference  of  race,"  means  nothing  more  than  that 
the  negroes  are  only  a  branch  of  the  great  family  of 
man,  without  impeaching  the  identity  of  their  ori- 
gin. This  construction,  though  it  may  satisfy  many, 
is  unfounded,  absurd,  and  contradicted  by  Mr.  Jef- 
ferson himself.  Unfounded;  for  when  philosophers 
treat  of  men  as  a  "  subject  of  natural  history,"  they 
use  the  term  "  race"  to  express  the  .s/<9c/*;  from  which 
the  particular  families  spring,  and  not,  as  in  the 
popular  sense,  the  families  themselves,  without 
regard  to  their  original.  A  single  example — em- 
bracing the  opinions  of  two  philosophers,  of  whom 
the  one,  M.  de  Buffon,  maintained,  and  the  other, 
Lord  Karnes,  denied  the  common  origin  of  man- 
kind— will  prove  my  assertion. 

"  M.  Buffon,  from  the  rule  that  animals  which 
can  procreate  together,  and  whose  progeny  can 
also  procreate,  are  of  one  species,  concludes  that 
all  men  are  of  one  race  or  species."t  Mr.  Jefferson, 
writing  on  the  same  subject  with  these  authors,  and 

*  Notes  on  Virginia,  p.  203. 

t  Karnes'  Skotchca,  Vol.  i.  p.  24. 


The  Voice  of  Warning.  547 

arguing  on  the  same  side  with  one  of  them,  undoubt- 
edly used  the  term  "  race^^  in  the  same  sense.  And 
as  the  other  construction  is  unfounded,  it  is  also 
absurd  ;  for  it  represents  him  as  laboring  through 
nearly  a  dozen  pages  to  prove  what  no  man  ever 
thought  of  doubting,  and  what  a  glance  of  the 
eye  sufficiently  ascertains,  viz.,  that  the  blacks  and 
whites  are  different  branches  of  a  common  family. 
Mr.  Jefferson  is  not  such  a  trifler :  he  fills  his  pages 
with  more  important  matter,  and  with  deeper  sense. 
And  by  expressions  which  cut  off  evasion,  contra- 
dicts the  meaning  which  his  friends  have  invented 
for  him.  He  enumerates  a  variety  of  "  distinctions 
winch  jjfove  a  difference  of  race."  These  distinc- 
tions, he  alleges,  are  not  accidental,  but  " phi/sical" 
i.  e.,  founded  in  nature.  True,  alarmed  at  the 
boldness  of  his  own  doctrine,  he  retreats  a  little. 
His  PROOFS  evaporate  into  a  suspicion  ;  but  that 
suspicion  is  at  a  loss  to  suspect  whether  the  inferi- 
ority of  the  blacks  (mark  it  well,  reader!)  is  owing 
to  their  being  "  originally  a  distinct  race,  or  made 
distinct  hy  time  and  circumstances."  Branches  of 
the  same  stock  originally  distinct,  is  a  contradic- 
tion. Mr.  Jefferson  therefore  means,  by  different 
races,  men  descended  from  different  stocks.  His 
very  "  tenderness"  is  tinctured  with  an  infidel  hue. 
A  conclusion,  corresponding  with  his  speculations, 
affects  him,  because  it  "  would  degrade  a  whole  race 
of  men  from  the  rank  in  the  .scale  of  beings  which 


548  The  Voice  of  Warning. 

their  Creator  may  jyerhaps  have  given  them."  So, 
then,  the  secret  is  out !  What  rank  in  the  scale  of 
beings  have  we,  obeying  the  Scripture,  been  accus- 
tomed to  assign  to  the  injured  blacks  ?  The  very 
same  with  ourselves,  viz.,  that  of  children  of  one 
common  father.  But  if  Mr.  Jefferson's  notions  be 
just,  he  says  they  will  be  degraded  from  that  rank; 
i.  e.,  will  appear  not  to  be  children  of  the  same  fa- 
tlier  with  us,  but  of  another  and  inferior  stock.  But 
though  he  will  not  speak  peremptorily,  he  strongly 
insinuates  that  he  does  not  adopt,  as  an  article  of 
his  philosophy,  the  descent  of  the  blacks  as  well  as 
the  whites  from  that  pair  which  came  immediately 
from  the  hands  of  God.  He  is  not  sure.  At  best, 
it  is  a  douht  with  him — "the  rank  which  their 
Creator  may  perhaps  have  given  them !"  Now, 
how  will  all  this  accord  with  revealed  truth  ?  God, 
says  the  apostle  Paul,  "  hath  made  of  one  blood  all 
NATIONS  ofinen,  for  to  dwell  on  all  the  face  of  the 
earth."*  Perhaps  it  may  be  so,  replies  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son ;  but  there  are,  notwithstanding,  physical  dis- 
tinctions PROVING  a  difference  of  race.  I  cannot 
repress  my  indignation  !  That  a  miserable,  sinful 
worm,  like  myself,  should  proudly  set  up  his  "proofs" 
against  the  truth  of  my  God  and  your  God,  and 
scout  his  veracity  with  a  scoptical  perhaps  !  I 
intreat  Christians  to  consider  the  sweeping  extent 
of  this  infidel  doctrine  of  "different  races."  If  it 
be  true,  the  history  of  the  Bible,  which  knows  of 

*  Acts  xvii.  26. 


The  Voice  of  Warning.  549 

but  one,  is  a  string  of  falsehoods,  from  the  book  of 
Genesis  to  that  of  the  Revelation  ;  and  the  whole 
system  of  redemption,  predicated  on  the  unity  of 
the  human  race,  is  a  cruel  fiction.  I  ask,  Chris- 
tians, again,  whether  they  would  dare  to  speak  and 
write  on  this  subject  in  the  style  of  Mr.  Jefferson  ? 
Whether  any  believer  in  the  word  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  who  is  their  hope,  could  entertain  such 
doubts'?  Whether  a  writer,  acute,  cautious,  and 
profound,  like  Mr.  Jefferson,  could,  as  he  had  before 
done  in  the  case  of  the  deluge,  pursue  a  train  of 
argument  which  he  knew  infidels  before  him  had 
used  to  discredit  revelation,  and  on  which  they 
still  have  great  reliance  \  Whether,  instead  of  vin- 
dicating the  honor  of  the  Scripture,  he  could,  in 
such  circumstances,  be  as  mute  as  death  on  this 
point;  countenancing  infidels  by  enforcing  their 
sentiments;  and  yet  be  a  Christian?  The  thing  is 
impossible!  And  were  any  other  than  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son to  be  guilty  of  the  same  disrespect  to  God's 
word,  you  would  not  hesitate  one  moment  in  pro- 
nouncing him  an  infidel. 

It  is  not  only  with  his  philosophical  disquisitions 
that  Mr.  Jefferson  mingles  opinions  irreconcilable 
with  the  Scriptures.  He  even  goes  out  of  his 
way  for  the  sake  of  a  fling  at  them.  "Those," 
says  he,  "  who  labor  in  the  earth,  are  the  chosen 
people  of  God,  if  ever  he  had  a  chosen  people, 


550  The  Voice  of  Warning. 

whose  breasts  he  has  made  his  peculiar    deposit 
for  substantial  and  genuine  virtue."* 

How  does  a  Christian  ear  relish  this  "profane 
babbling"?  In  the  first  place,  Mr.  Jefferson 
doubts  if  ever  God  had  a  chosen  people.  In  the 
second  place,  if  he  had,  he  insists  they  are  no 
other  than  those  vv^bo  labor  in  the  earth.  At  any 
rate,  he  denies  this  privilege  to  the  seed  of  Abra- 
ham; and  equally  denies  your  being  his  people, 
unless  you  follow  the  scythe  and  the  plow.  Now, 
whether  this  be  not  the  he  direct  to  the  whole 
testimony  of  the  Bible,  from  the  beginning  to  the 
end,  judge  ye.f 

*  Notes  on  Virginia,  p.  240. 

t  Some  have  been  vain  enough  to  suppose  that  they  destroy  this 
proof  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  infidelity,  by  representing  his  expression, 
"the  chosen  people  of  God,  if  ever  he  had  a  chosen  people,"  as 
synonymous  with  the  following  :  "A.  B.  is  an  honest  man,  if  ever 
there  was  an  honest  man,"  which  is  so  far  from  doubting  the  exist- 
ence of  honest  men,  that  it  founds,  in  the  certainty  of  this  fact,  the 
assertion  of  A.  B.'s  honesty.  On  this  wretched  sophism,  unworthy 
of  good  sense,  and  unworthy  of  candor,  I  remark  : 

1.  That  the  expressions  are  by  no  means  similar.  The  whole 
world  admits  that  there  are  honest  men,  which  makes  the  proposi- 
tion, "  A.  B.  is  an  honest  man,  if  ever  there  was  an  honest  man,"  a 
strong  assertion  of  A.  B.'s  honesty.  But  the  hundredth  part  of  the 
world  does  not  admit  that  God  had  a  chosen  people,  and  therefore 
the  proposition  that  "  those  who  labor  in  the  earth  are  the  chosen 
people  of  God,  if  ever  he  had  a  chosen  people,"  is,  upon  this  con- 
struction, no  assertion  at  all  that  the  cultivators  of  the  soil  are  his 
people,  because  there  are  millions  who  do  not  believe  the  fact  on 
which  it  must  bo  founded  :  viz.  that  ho  had  a  chosen  people. 

2.  That  if  the  expressions  were  parallel,  Mr.  J.  would  still  be  left 


The  Voice  of  Warning.  551 

After  these  affronts  to  the  oracles  of  God,  you 
have  no  right  to  be  surprised  if  Mr.  Jefferson 
should  preach  the  innocence  of  error,  or  even  of 
Atheism.  What  do  I  say !  He  does  preach  it. 
"  The  legitimate  powers  of  government,"  they  are 
his  own  words,  "extend  to  such  acts  only  as  are  in- 
jurious \o  others.  But  it  does  me  no  injury  for  my 
neighbors  to  say  there  are  twenty  gods,  or  7io  god. 
It  neither  picks  my  pocket,  nor  breaks  my  leg."* 

Ponder  well  this  paragraph.  Ten  thousand 
impieties  and  mischiefs  lurk  in  its  womb.  Mr. 
Jefferson  maintains  not  only  the  inviolability  of 
opinion,  but  of  opinion  propagated.  And  that  no 
class  or  character  of  abomination  might  be  exclu- 
ded from  the  sanctuary  of  such  laws  as  he  wishes 
to  see  established,  he  pleads  for  the  impunity  of 
published  error  in  its  most  dangerous  and  execrable 
form.  Polytheism,  or  Atheism,  "  twenty  gods  or 
no  god,"  is  perfectly  indifferent  in  Mr.  Jefferson's 
good  citizen.  A  wretch  may  trumpet  Atheism 
from  New  Hampshire  to  Georgia ;  may  laugh  at 
all  the  realites  of  futurity ;  may  scoff  and  teach 
others  to  scoff  at  their  accountabihty;   it  is    no 

in  the  lurch,  because  the  first  asserts  A.  B.  to  be  as  much  an  honest 
man  as  any  man  that  ever  lived  ;  and  so  Mr.  J.  asserts  ♦'  those  who 
labor  in  the  earth"  to  be  as  much  the  "  chosen  people  of  God"  as 
any  people  that  ever  lived.  This  is  still  the  lie  direct  to  the  whole 
Bible,  and  the  inventors  of  this  lucky  shift  must  set  their  wits  at 
work  to  invent  another. 

*  Notes  on  Virginia,  p.  231. 


552  The  Voice  of  Warning. 

matter,  says  Mr.  Jefferson,  "  it  neither  picks  my 
pocket,  nor  breaks  my  leg."  This  is  nothing  less 
than  representing  civil  society  as  founded  in  Athe- 
ism. For  there  can  be  no  religion  without  God. 
And  if  it  does  me  or  my  neighbor  no  injury,  to 
subvert  the  very  foundation  of  religion,  by  deny- 
ing the  being  of  God,  then  rehgion  is  not  one  of 
the  constituent  principles  of  society,  and  conse- 
quently society  is  perfect  without  it;  that  is,  is 
perfect  in  Atheism.^  Christians  !  what  think  you 
of  this  doctrine  ?  Have  you  so  learned  Christ  or 
truth?  Is  Atheism  indeed  no  injury  to  society? 
Is  it  no  injury  to  untie  all  the  cords  which  bind 
you  to  the  God  of  heaven,  and  your  deeds  to  his 
throne  of  Judgment;  which  form  the  strength  of 
personal  virtue,  give  energy  to  the  duties,  and  in- 
fuse sweetness  into  the  charities  of  human  life  ? 
Is  it  indeed  no  injury  to  you,  or  to  those  around 
you,  that  your  neighbor  buries  his  conscience  and 
all  his  sense  of  moral  obligation,  in  the  gulf  of 
Atheism  ?  Is  it  no  injury  to  you  that  the  oath 
ceases  to  be  sacred  ?  That  the  eye  of  the  Omni- 
scient no  more  pervades  the  abode  of  crime  ? 
That  you  have  no  hold  on  your  dearest  friend, 
farther  than  the  law  is  able  to  reach  his  person  ? 
Have  you  yet  to  learn  that  the  peace  and  happi- 
ness of  society,  depend  upon  things  which  the 
laws  of  men  can  never  embrace?  And  whence, 
I  pray  you,  are  righteous  laws  to  emanate,  if  rulers. 


The  Voice  of  Warning.  553 

by  adopting  Atheism,  be  freed  from  trie  coercion 
of  future  retribution  I  Would  you  not  rather  be 
scourged  with  sword,  and  famine,  and  pestilence, 
than  see  your  country  converted  into  a  den  of 
Atheism  ?  Yet,  says  Mr.  Jefferson,  it  is  a  harmless 
thing.  "It  does  me  no  injury;  it  neither  picks  my 
pocket,  nor  breaks  my  leg."  This  is  perfectly  of  \ 
a  piece  with  his  favorite  wish,  to  see  a  government 
administered  without  any  religious  principle  among 
either  rulers  or  ruled.  Pardon  me,  Christian  ;  this 
is  the  morality  of  devils,  which  would  break  in  an 
instant  every  link  in  the  chain  of  human  friend- 
ship, and  transform  the  globe  into  one  equal  scene 
of  desolation  and  horror,  where  fiend  would  prowl 
with  fiend  for  plunder  and  blood ;  yet  Atheism 
"neither  picks  my  pocket,  nor  breaks  my  leg."  I 
will  not  abuse  you  by  asking  whether  the  author 
of  such  an  opinion  can  be  a  Christian?  or  whether 
he  has  any  regard  for  the  Scriptures,  which  con- 
fine all  wisdom  and  blessedness  and  glory,  both 
personal  and  social,  to  the  fear  and  the  favor  of 
God? 

The  reader  will  observe,  that  in  his  sentiments 
on  these  four  points,  the  deluge;  the  origin  of  na- 
tions; the  chosen  people  of  God;  and  Atheism, 
Mr.  Jefferson  has  comprised  the  radical  principles 
of  infidelity  in  its  utmost  latitude.  Accede  to  his 
positions  on  these,  and  he  will  compel  you  to 
grant  the  rest.     There  is  hardly  a  single  truth  of 


554  The  Voice  of  Warning. 

revelation,  which  would  not  fall  before  one  or 
other  of  them.  If  the  deluge  be  abandoned,  you 
can  defend  neither  the  miracles  nor  inspiration  of 
the  Scripture.  If  men  are  not  descendants  of  one 
common  stock,  the  doctrine  of  salvation  is  con- 
victed of  essential  error.  If  God  never  had  any 
chosen  people  but  the  cultivators  of  the  soil,  the 
fabric  of  the  New  Testament  foils  to  the  ground ; 
for  its  foundation  in  the  choice  of  Israel  to  be  his 
peculiar  people,  is  swept  away.  And  if  the  Athe- 
ism of  one  man  be  not  injurious  to  another,  soci- 
ety could  easily  dispense,  not  only  with  his  word, 
but  with  his  worship. 

Conformable  with  the  infidelity  of  his  book,  is 
an  expression  of  Mr.  Jefferson  contained  in  a  par- 
agraph which  I  transcribe  from  the  pamphlet  enti- 
tled "  Sei'ious  Considerations,''  S)'c. 

"When  the  late  Rev.  Dr.  John  B.  Smith,  resi- 
ded in  Virginia,  the  famous  Mazzei  happened  one 
night  to  be  his  guest.  Dr.  Smith  having,  as  usual, 
assembled  his  family  for  their  evening  devotions, 
the  circumstance  occasioned  some  discourse  on 
religion,  in  which  the  Italian  made  no  secret  of 
his  infidel  principles.  In  the  course  of  conversa- 
tion, he  remarked  to  Dr.  Smith,  'Why  your  great 
philosopher  and  statesman,  Mr.  Jefferson,  is  ratlicr 
farther  gone  in  infidelity  than  I  am  ;'  and  related 
in  confirmation,  the  following  anecdote :  That  as 
he  was   once  riding  with  Mr.  Jefferson,  he   ex- 


The  Voice  of  Warning.  655 

pressed  his  'surprise  that  the  people  of  this  coun- 
try take  no  better  care  of  their  pubUc  buildings.' 
'What  buildings?'   exclaimed  Mr.  Jefferson.      'Is 
not  that  a  church?'  rephed  he,  pointing  to  a  de-  , 
cajed    edifice.       '  Yes,'   answered    Mr.  Jefferson. 
'I  am  astonished,'  said  the  other,  'that  they  per- 
mit it   to  be  in  so  ruinous  a  condition.'      'It  is    < 
good  enough'    rejoined    Mr.    Jefferson,    'foi-  him    I 
that  loas  born  in  a  manger'' 1 1     Such  a  contemp- 
tuous fling  at  the  blessed  Jesus,  could  issue  from 
the  lips  of  no  other  than  a  deadly  foe  to  his  name 
and  his  cause."* 

Some  of  Mr.  Jefferson's  friends  have  been  des- 
perate enough  to  challenge  this  anecdote  as  a 
calumny  fabricated  for  electioneering  purposes. 
But  whatever  they  pretend,  it  is  incontestibly  true, 
that  the  story  was  told,  as  here  repeated,  by  Dr. 
Smith.  I,  as  well  as  the  author  of  "  Serious  Con- 
siderations," and  several  others,  heard  it  from  the 
lips  of  Dr.  Smith,  years  ago,  and  more  than  once. 
The  calumny,  if  any,  lies  either  with  those  who 
impeach  the  veracity  of  a  number  of  respectable 
witnesses,  or  with  Mazzei  himself  And  there 
are  not  wanting,  among  the  followers  of  Mr. 
Jefferson,  advocates  for  this  latter  opinion.  He 
must  have  been  a  wretch  indeed,  to  blacken  his 
brother  philosopher,  by  trumping  up  a  deliberate 
lie,  in  order  to  excuse   his   own  impiety  in  the 

♦  Serious  Considerations,  pp.  16,  17. 


556  The  Voice  of  Warning. 

presence  of  a  minister  of  Christ !  If  such  was 
Mazzei,  the  philosopher,  it  is  our  wisdom  to  think, 
and  think  again,  before  we  heap  our  largest  honors 
upon  the  head  of  his  bosom-friend. 

Christian  Reader,  the  facts  and  reasonings 
which  I  have  laid  before  you,  produce  in  my 
mind  an  irresistible  conviction,  that  Mr.  Jefferson 
is  a  confirmed  infidel ;  and  I  cannot  see  how  they 
should  have  a  less  effect  on  yours.  But  when  to 
these  you  add  his  solicitude  for  wresting  the  Bible 
from  the  hands  of  your  children — his  notoriously 
unchristian  character — his  disregard  to  all  the 
ordinances  of  divine  worship — his  utter  and  open 
contempt  of  the  Lord's  Day,  insomuch  as  to 
receive  on  it  a  public  entertainment  ;*  every  trace 
of  doubt  must  vanish.  What  is  a  man  who  writes 
against  the  truths  of  God's  Word  ?  who  makes 
not  even  a  profession  of  Christianity  ?  who  is 
without  Sabbaths  ;  without  the  sanctuary ;  with- 
out so  much  as  a  decent  external  respect  for  the 
faith  and  the  worship  of  Christians  ?  What  is 
he,  what  can  he  he,  but  a  decided,  a  hardened 
infidel? 

Several  feeble  and  fruitless  attempts  have  been 
made  to  fritter  down  and  dissipate  this  mass  of 
evidence.  In  vain  are  we  told  that  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son's conduct  is  modest,  moral,  exemplary.  I  ask 
no  odious  questions.     A  man  must  be  an  adept  in 

*  At  Fredericksburgh,  in  Virginia,  in  1798. 


The  Voice  of  Warning.  bbl 

the  higher  orders  of  profligacy,  if  neither  literary 
occupation,  nor  the  influence  of  the  surrounding 
gospel,  can  form  or  control  his  habits.  Though 
infidelity  and  licentiousness  are  twin  sisters,  they 
are  not  compelled  to  be  always  in  company ;  that 
I  am  not  a  debauchee,  will  therefore  be  hardly 
admitted  as  proof  that  L  am  not  an  infidel.  In 
vain  are  we  reminded,  that  the  "Notes  on  Vir- 
ginia "  contain  famihar  mention,  and  respectful 
acknowledgment,  of  the  being  and  attributes  of 
God.  Though  infidelity  leads  to  Atheism,  a  man 
may  be  an  infidel  without  being  an  Atheist.  Some 
have  even  pretended,  that  anxiety  for  the  honor 
of  God,  prompted  them  to  fix  the  brand  of  impos- 
ture upon  the  Scripture !  But  where  has  Mr. 
Jeflerson,  when  stating  his  private  opinions,  be- 
trayed the  least  regard  for  the  gospel  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  X  In  vain  is  it  proclaimed,  that  he 
maintains  a  Christian  minister  at  his  own  expense, 
I  shall  not  inquire  whether  that  maintenance  does 
or  does  not  arise  from  the  product  of  glebe  lands 
attached  to  many  southern  estates.  Taking  the 
fact  to  be  simply  as  related,  I  will  inquire  whether 
prudent  and  political  men  never  contribute  to  the 
support  of  Christianity  from  other  motives  than  a 
behef  of  its  truth  ?  Mr.  Jeflerson  may  do  all  this, 
and  yet  be  an  infidel.  Voltaire,  the  vile,  the 
blasphemous  Voltaire,  was  building  churches, 
and  assisting  at  the  mass,  while  he  was  writing  to 


568  The  Voice  of  Warning.- 

his  philosophical  confidants,  concerning  your  divine 
Saviour,  Crush  the  wretch  !  In  vain  is  the 
"  Act  for  estahlishing  religious  freedom,''  which 
flowed  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  and  passed 
in  the  Assembly  of  Virginia,  in  1786,  paraded  as 
the  triumph  of  his  Christian  creed.  I  protest 
against  the  credibihty  o^  the  witness  !  That  act, 
I  know,  recognizes  "  the  Holy  Author  of  our  reli- 
gion," as  "Lord  both  of  body  and  mind,"  and 
possessing  "Almighty  power;"  and  by  censuring 
"fallible  and  uninspired  men,"  tacitly  acknow- 
ledges both  the  inspiration  and  infallibihty  of  the 
sacred  writers.  But  Mr.  Jefferson  is  not  here 
declaring  his pj-ivate  opinions:  for  these  we  must 
look  to  his  Notes,  wniiich  were  published  a  year 
after,  and  abound  with  ideas  which  contradict  the 
authority  of  the  Scriptures.  He  speaks,  in  that  act, 
as  the  organ  of  an  Assemhly  professing  Chris- 
tianity ;  and  it  would  not  only  have  been  a  mon- 
strous absurdity,  but  more  than  his  credit,  and  the 
Assembly's  too,  was  worth,  to  have  been  disre- 
spectful, in  an  official  deed,  to  that  Redeemer 
whose  name  they  owned,  and  who  was  precious 
to  many  of  their  constituents.  Such  Christianity 
is  common  with  the  bitterest  enemies  of  Christ. 
Herbert,  Hobbes,  Blount,  Toland,  Tindal,  Boling- 
broke,  Hume,  Voltaire,  Gibbon,  at  the  very  mo- 
ment when  they  were  laboring  to  argue  or  to 
laugh  the  gospel  out  of  the  world,  affected  great 


The  Voice  of  Warning.  559 

regard  for  our  "holy  religion"  and  its  divine 
author.  There  is  an  edict  of  Frederic  11.  of  '"^ 
Prussia,  on  the  subject  of  rehgious  toleration, 
couched  in  terms  of  the  utmost  reverence  for  the 
Christian  religion,  and  yet  this  same  Frederic  vv^as 
one  of  the  knot  of  conspirators,  who,  with  Vol- 
taire at  their  head,  plotted  the  extermination  of 
Christianity :  and  whenever  they  spoke  of  its 
"  Holy  Author,"  echoed  to  each  other.  Crush  the 
wretch  I  This  act,  therefore,  proves  nothing  but 
that,  at  the  time  of  its  passing,  (we  hope  it  is  so 
still,)  there  was  religion  enough  in  Virginia  to 
curb  the  proud  spirit  of  infidelity. 

Christians  !  Lay  these  things  together  :  com- 
pare them  ;  examine  them  separately,  and  collect- 
ively; ponder;  pause;  lay  your  hands  upon  your 
hearts  ;  hft  up  your  hearts  to  heaven,  and  pro- 
nounce on  Mr.  Jefferson's  Christianity.  You 
canirot  stifle  your  emotions;  nor  forbear  uttering 
your  indignant  sentence — ;INFIDEL  !  ! 

This  point  being  settled,  one  would  think  that 
you  could  have  no  difficulty  about  the  rest,  and 
would  instantly  and  firmly  conclude,  "  Such  a 
man  ought  not,  and,  as  far  as  depends  on  me, 
shall  not,  be  President  of  the  United  States !" 
But  I  calculate  too  confidently.  I  have  the  humi- 
liation to  hear  this  inference  controverted  even  by 
those  whose  "  good  confession  "  was  a  pledge  that 
they  are  feelingly  ahve  to  the  honor  of  their  Re- 


560  The  Voice  of  Warning. 

deemer.  No,  I  am  not  "deceived  :  they  are  Chris- 
tian lips  which  plead  that  "  Religion  has  nothing 
to  do  icith  polities'' — that  to  refuse  our  suffrages 
on  account  of  religious  irrinciples,  would  he  an 
interference  with  the  right  of  conscience — that 
there  is  little  hope  of  procuring  a  real  believer,  and 
we  had  better  choose  an  infidel  than  a  hypocrite. 

That  religion  has,  in  fact,  nothing  to  do  with 
the  politics  of  many  who  profess  it,  is  a  melan- 
choly truth.  But  that  it  has,  of  right,  no  concern 
with  political  transactions,  is  quite  a  new  discov- 
ery. If  such  opinions,  however,  prevail,  there  is 
no  longer  any  mystery  in  the  character  of  those 
whose  conduct,  in  political  matters,  violates  every 
precept,  and  slanders  every  principle,  of  the  reli- 
gion of  Christ.  But  what  is  politics  ?  Is  it  not 
the  science  and  the  exercise  of  civil  rights  and 
civil  duties  ?  And  what  is  religion?  Is  it  not  an 
obligation  to  the  service  of  God,  founded  on  his 
authority,  and  extending  to  all  our  relations,  per- 
sonal and  social  ?  Yet  religion  has  nothing  to  do 
with  politics !  Where  did  you  learn  this  maxim  ? 
The  Bible  is  full  of  directions  for  your  behavior 
as  citizens.  It  is  plain,  pointed,  awful  in  its  injunc- 
tions on  rulers  and  ruled  as  such :  yet  religion  has 
nothing  to  do  ivith  iwlitics.  You  are  commanded 
'■'in  ALL  your  ways  to  acknowledge  him!'*  ''In 
EVERYTHING,    by    praycr    and  supplication,    with 

*  Prov.  iii.  3. 


The  Voice  of  Warning.  561 

thanksgiving,  to  let  your  requests  be  made  hw^n 
unto  God!"^     "  And  whatsoever  ye  do,  in  word 

OR     DEED,     to    do    ALL    IN    THE     NAME    of  the    Lord 

Jesus."j-  Yet  religion  has  nothing  to  do  with 
politics!  Most  astonishing!  And  is  there  any 
part  of  your  conduct  in  which  you  are,  or  wish  to 
be,  without  law  to  God,  and  not  under  the  law  of 
Christ?  Can  you  persuade  yourselves  that  poh- 
tical  men  and  measures  are  to  undergo  no  review 
in  the  judgment  to  come  ?  That  all  the  passion 
and  violence,  the  fraud,  and  falsehood  and  corrup- 
tion, which  pervade  the  system  of  party,  and  burst 
out  like  a  flood  at  the  pubhc  elections,  are  to  be 
blotted  from  the  catalogue  of  unchristian  deeds, 
because  they  are  politics  ?  Or  that  a  minister  of 
the  gospel  may  see  his  people,  in- their  political 
career,  bid  defiance  to  their  God  in  breaking 
through  every  moral  restraint,  and  keep  a  guiltless 
silence,  because  religion  has  nothing  to  do  with 
politics  ?  I  forbear  to  press  the  argument  farther  . 
observing  only,  that  many  of  our  difficulties  and 
sins  may  be  traced  to  this  pernicious  notion.  Yes, 
if  our  religion  had  had  more  to  do  with  our  poli- 
tics ;  if,  in  the  pride  of  our  citizenship,  we  had  not 
forgotten  our  Christianity :  if  we  had  prayed 
more  and  wrangled  less  about  the  aifairs  of  our 
country,  it  would  have  been  infinitely  better  for  us 
at  this  day. 

*  Phil.  iv.  6.  f  Col.  iii.  17. 

VOL.  IV.     36 


562  The  Voice  of  Warning. 

But  jou  are  afraid,  that  to  refuse  a  man  your 
suffrages  because  he  is  an  infidel,  would  interfere 
with  the  rights  of  conscience.  This  is  a  most  sin- 
gular scruple,  and  proves  how  wild  are  the  opinions 
of  men  on  the  subject  of  liberty.  Conscience  is 
God's  officer  in  the  human  breast,  and  its  rights  are 
defined  by  his  law.  The  right  of  conscience  to 
trample  on  his  authority  is  the  right  of  a  rebel, 
which  entitles  him  to  nothing  but  condign  punish- 
ment. You  are  afraid  of  being  unkind  to  the  con- 
science of  an  infidel.  Dismiss  your  fears.  It  is 
the  last  grievance  of  which  he  will  complain. 
How  far  do  you  suppose  Mr.  Jefferson  consulted 
his  conscience  when  he  was  vilifying  the  divine 
word,  and  preaching  insurrection  against  God,  by 
preaching  the  harmlessness  of  Atheism?  But  sup- 
posing Mr.  Jefferson  to  be  conscientiously  impious, 
this  would  only  be  a  stronger  reason  for  our  oppo- 
sition. For  the  more  conscientious  a  man  is,  the 
more  persevering  will  he  be  in  his  views,  and  the 
more  anxious  for  their  propagation.  If  he  be  fixed, 
then,  in  dangerous  error,  faithfulness  to  God  and 
truth  requires  us  to  resist  him  and  his  conscience 
too ;  and  to  keep  from  him  the  means  of  doing 
mischief.  If  a  man  thought  himself  bound  in  con- 
science, whenever  he  should  be  able,  to  banish 
God's  Sabbath,  burn  his  churches,  and  hang  his 
worshippers,  would  you  entrust  him  with  power 
out  of  respect  to  conscience  \     I  trow  not.     And 


The  Voice  of  Warning.  563 

why  you  should  judge  diflferently  in  the  case  of  an 
infidel,  who  spurns  at  what  is  dearer  to  you  than 
hfe,  I  cannot  conceive.  But  in  your  solicitude  for 
the  conscience  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  have  you  con- 
sidered, in  the  meantime,  what  becomes  of  your  own 
conscience  ?  Has  it  no  rights  ?  no  voice  ?  no  in- 
fluence \  Are  you  not  to  keep  it  void  of  offence 
towards  God?  Can  you  do  this  in  elevating  his 
open  enemies  to  the  highest  dignity  of  your  coun- 
try ?  Beware,  therefore,  lest  an  ill-directed  care 
for  the  conscience  of  another,  bring  your  own  un- 
der the  lashes  of  remorse.  Keep  this  clear,  by  the 
word  of  God,  and  there  is  little  hazard  of  injuring 
your  neighbor's.  But  how  can  you  interfere  with 
any  man's  conscience  by  refusing  him  a  political 
office  ?  You  do  not  invade  the  sanctuary  of  his 
bosom:  you  impose  on  him  no  creed;  you  simply 
tell  him  you  do  not  like  him,  or  that  you  prefer 
another  to  him.  Do  you  injure  him  by  this  ?  Do 
you  not  merely  exercise  the  right  of  a  citizen  and 
a  Christian  \  It  belongs  essentially  to  the  freedom 
of  election,  to  refuse  my  vote  to  any  candidate  for 
reasons  of  conscience,  of  state,  of  predilection,  or 
for  no  reason  at  all  but  my  own  choice.  The 
rights  of  conscience,  on  his  part,  are  out  of  the 
question.  He  proposes  himself  for  my  approbation. 
If  I  approve,  I  give  him  my  support.  If  not,  I 
withhold  it.  His  conscience  has  nothing  to  do 
with  my  motives ;  but  to  my  own  conscience  they 


564  Tlie   Voice  of  Warning. 

are  serious  things.  If  he  be  an  infidel,  I  will  not 
compel  him  to  profess  Christianity.  Let  him  retain 
his  infidelity,  enjoy  all  its  comforts,  and  meet  all  its 
consequences.  But  I  have  an  unquestionable  right 
to  say,  "  I  cannot  trust  a  man  of  such  principles : 
on  what  grounds  he  has  adopted  them  is  not  my 
concern ;  nor  will  his  personal  sincerity  alter  their 
tendency.  While  he  is  an  infidel  he  shall  never 
have  my  countenance.  -Let  him  stay  where  he  is; 
and  let  his  conscience  be  its  own  reward."  1  could 
not  blame  another  for  such  conduct  to  me ;  for  he 
only  makes  an  independent  use  of  his  privilege, 
which  does  me  no  injury  ;  nor  am  I  to  be  blamed 
for  such  conduct  to  another,  for  I  only  make  the 
same  use  of  my  privilege,  which  is  no  injury  to  him. 
Mr.  Jefferson's  conscience  cannot,  therefore,  be 
wronged,  if  you  exclude  him  from  the  presidency, 
because  he  is  an  infidel ;  and  your  own,  by  an  act 
of  such  Christian  magnanimity,  may  escape  here- 
after many  a  bitter  pang.  For  if  you  elect  Mr. 
Jefferson,  though  an  infidel,  from  a  regard  to  what 
you  consider  the  rights  of  conscience,  you  must,  in 
order  to  be  consistent,  carry  your  irrinciph  through. 
If  infidelity  is  not  a  vaUd  objection  to  a  candidate 
for  the  presidency,  it  cannot  be  so  to  a  candidate 
for  any  other  office.  You  must  never  again  say, 
"  We  will  not  vote  for  such  a  man,  because  he  is 
an  infidel."  The  evil  brotherhood  will  turn  upon 
you  with  your  own  doctrine  of  the  "rights  of  con- 


The  Voice  of  Wa/iiing.  !JG[t 

science."  You  must,  then,  either  retract,  or  be 
content  to  see  every  office  filled  with  infidels.  How 
horrible,  in  such  an  event,  would  be  the  situation 
ol  your  country !  How  deep  your  agony  under 
die  torments  of  self-reproach  ! 

But  there  is  no  prospect,  you  say,  of  obtaining  a 
real  Christian,  and  we  had  betie?-  choose  an  injidel 
than  a  hijpocrite.  By  no  means.  Supposing  that 
a  man  professes  Christianity,  and  evinces  in  his 
general  deportment  a  regard  for  its  doctrines,  its 
worship,  and  its  laws ;  though  he  be  rotten  at 
heart,  he  is  infinitely  preferable  to  a  known  infidel. 
His  hypocrisy  is  before  God ;  but,  while  it  is  with- 
out detection,  can  do  no  hurt  to  men.  We  have  a 
hold  of  him,  which  it  is  impossible  to  get  of  an 
infidel.  His  reputation,  his  habits,  his  interests, 
depending  upon  the  behef  of  his  Christianify,  are 
sureties  for  his  behavior,  to  which  we  vainly  look 
for  a  counterbalance  in  an  infidel;  and  they  are, 
next  to  religion  itself,  the  strongest  sureties  of  man 
to  man.  His  very  hypocrisy  is  an  homage  to  the 
gospel.  The  whole  weight  of  his  example  is  on 
the  side  of  Christianity,  while  that  of  an  infidel  is 
wholly  against  it.  It  is  well  known  that  the  at- 
tendance of  your  Washington  and  of  President 
Adams  upon  public  worship,  gave  the  ordinances 
of  the  gospel  a  respectability  in  the  eyes  of  many 
which  otherwise  they  would  not  have  had :  brought 
a  train  of  thoughtless  people  within  the  reach  of 


566  The  Voice  of  Warning. 

the  means  of  salvation  ;  and  thus  strengthened  the 
opposition  of  Christians  to  the  progress  of  infidehty. 
You  can  never  forget  the  honorable  testimony 
which  Mr.  Adams  bore,  in  one  of  his  proclamations, 
to  a  number  of  the  most  precious  truths  of  Revela- 
tion ;  nor  how  he  was  abused  and  ridiculed  for  it, 
by  not  a  few  of  those  very  persons  who  now  strive 
to  persuade  you  that  Mr.  Jefferson  is  a  Christian. 
In  short,  your  President,  if  an  open  infidel,  will  be 
a  centre  of  contagion  to  the  whole  continent.  If 
a  professed  Christian,  he  will  honor  the  institu- 
tions of  God ;  and  though  his  hypocrisy,  should  he 
prove  a  hypocrite,  may  be  a  fire  to  consume  his 
own  vitals,  it  cannot  become  a  wide-spreading 
conflagration. 

Can  you  still  hesitate  ?  Perhaps  you  may.  I 
therefore  bespeak  your  attention  to  a  few  plain 
and  cogent  reasons,  why  you  cannot,  without  vio- 
lating your  plighted  faith,  and  tramphng  on  your 
most  sacred  duties,  place  an  infidel  at  the  head  of 
your  government. 

1.  The  civil  magistrate  is  God's  officer.  He  is 
the  ininister  of  God,  saith  Paul,  to  thee  for  good.'*' 
Consequently  his  first  and  highest  obligation  is,  to 
cherish  in  his  mind  and  express  in  his  conduct, 
his  sense  of  obedience  to  the  Governor  of  the 
Universe.  He  that  ruleth  over  man  must  he  just, 
ruling   in  the   fear  of  Goo.f      The  Scriptures 

*Ilorn.  xiii.  4.  f  Pe.  xv.  4. 


7"'/ 


'lie  Voice  of  Warning.  567 

have  left  you  this  and  shnilar  declarations,  to  direct 
jou  in  the  choice  of  jour  magistrates.  And  you 
are  bound,  upon  your  allegiance  to  the  God  of  the 
Scr^tures,  to  look  out  for  such  men  as  answer  the 
description;  and  if,  unhappily,  they  are  not  to  be 
had,  for  such  as  come  nearest  to  it.  The  good 
man,  he  who  shall  "dwell  in  God's  holy  hill,"  is 
one  "in  whose  eyes  a  vile  per  son  is  contemned; 
but  he  HONORETH  tlieirt  that  fear  the  Lord''*  But 
can  you  pretend  to  regard  this  principle,  when  you 
desire  to  raise  an  infidel  to  the  most  important 
post  in  your  country  \  Do  you  call  this  honoring 
them  that  fear  God?  Nay,  it  is  honoring  them 
who  do  not  fear  God  :  that  is,  according  to  the 
scriptural  contrast,  honoring  a  vile  person,  whom, 
as  Christians,  you  ought  to  contemn.  And  have 
you  the  smallest  expectation  that  one  who  despises 
the  word  and  worship  of  God;  who  has  openly 
taught  the  harmlessness  of  rebellion  against  his 
government  and  being,  by  teaching  that  Atheism 
is  no  injury  to  society,  will,  nevertheless,  rule  in 
his  fear?  Will  it  show  any  reverence  or  love  to 
your  Father  in  Heaven,  to  put  a  distinguishing 
mark  of  your  confidence  upon  his  sworn  foe?  Or 
will  it  be  an  affront  to  his  majesty  ? 

2.  The  civil  magistrate  is,  by  divine  appoint- 
ment, the  guardian  of  the  Sahhath.  In  it  thou 
shall  not  do  any  icork;  thou,  nor  thy  son,  8^c.,  nor 

*  2  Sam.  xxiii.  3. 


568  The  Voice  of  Warning. 

THE   STRANGER   THAT  *  IS  WITHIN   THY  GATES.* 

"  Gates,"  is  a  Scriptural  term  for  public  authority ; 
and  that  it  is  so  to  be  understood  in  this  com- 
mandment, is  evident  from  its  connection  ,with 
^'stranger."  God  says  that  even  the  stranger 
shall  not  be  allow^ed  to  profane  his  Sabbath.  But 
the  stranger  can  be  controlled  only  by  the  civil 
magistrate,  who  "sitteth  in  the  gate."f  It  there- 
fore belongs  to  his  office,  to  enforce,  by  lawful 
means,  the  sanctification  of  the  Sabbath,  as  the 
fundamental  institute  of  rehgion  and  morals,  and 
the  social  expression  of  homage  to  that  God  under 
whom  he  acts.  The  least  which  can  be  accepted 
from  him,  is  to  recommend  it  by  personal  obser- 
vance. How-  do  you  suppose  Mr.  Jefferson  will 
perform  this  part  of  his  duty  1  m*  how  can  you 
deposit  in  his  hands  a  trust,  which  you  cannot  but 
think  he  will  betray;  and  in  betraying  which,  he 
will  not  only  sacrifice  some  of  your  most  invalua- 
yblc  interests,  but  as  youi-  organ  and  in  yo2ir  name 
lift  up  his  heel  against  the  God  of  Heaven  ?  In 
different  states,  you  have  made,  not  long  since, 
spirited  exertions  to  liinder  the  profanation  of  your 
Lord's  day.  For  this  purpose,  many  of  you  en- 
deavored to  procure  rehglous  magistrates  for  this 
city,  and  religious  representatives  in  the  councils 
of  the  state.  You  well  remember  how  you  were 
mocked,    traduced,    execrated,    especially    by   the 

*  Ex.  XX.  10.  t  Dan.  ii.  49. 


The  Voice  of  Warning.  •    559 

infidel  tribe.  But  what  is  now  become  of  your 
zeal  and  jour  consistency  ?  I  can  read  in  the 
list  of  delegates  to  the  Legislature,  the  names  of 
men  who  have  been  an  ornament  to  the  gospel, 
and  acquitted  themselves  like  Christians  in  that 
noble  struggle,  and  yet  are  expected  to  ballot  for 
electors,  whose  votes  shall  be  given  to  an  infidel 
President.  Who  hath  bewitched  you,  Christians  ? 
or,  what  do  you  mean  by  siding  with  the  infidels 
to  lift  into  the  chair  of  state,  a  man  more  eminent 
for  nothing  than  for  his  scorn  of  the  day,  the  ordi- 
nances, and  the  worship  of  your  Redeemer;  and 
who  did*  not  blush  to  make  it,  in  the  face  of  the 
sun,  a  season  of  frolic  and  revel  !*  Is  this  your 
kindness  to  your  friend? 

3  The  church  of  God  has  ever-  accounted  it  a 
great  mercy  to  have  civil  rulers  professing  his 
name.  Rather  than  yield  it,  thousands  of  your 
fathers  have  poured  out  their  blood.  This  privi- 
lege is  now  in  your  hands;  and  it  is  the  chief 
circumstance  which  makes  the  freedom  of  election 
worth  a  Christian's  care.  Will  you,  dare  you, 
abuse  it,  by  prostituting  it  to  the  aggrandizement 
of  an  enemy  to  your  Lord  and  his  Christ  \  If 
you  do,  will  it  not  be  a  righteous  thing  with  God 
to  take  the  privilege  from  you  altogether  ;  and  in 
his  wrath   to  subject  you,  and  your  children,  and 

*  The  Fredericksburgh  feast,  given  on  Sabbath,  to  Mr.  J.  1798. 


570  The  Voice  of  Warning. 

joar   children's   children,   to    such    rulers   as  you 
have,  l)j  jour  own  deed,  preferred  ? 

4.  You  are  commanded  to  2yrai/ for  your  rulers : 
it  is  jour  custom  to  praj,  that  thej  maj  be  men 
fearing  God  and  /uUing  coveteousness.  You  en- 
treat liim  to  fulfil  his  promise,  that  kings  shall  be  to 
his  church  nursing-fathers,  and  queens  her  nursing- 
mothers.'^  With  what  conscience  can  jou  hft  up 
your  hands  in  such  a  supplication,  when  jou  are 
exerting  jourselves  to  procure  a  President,  who 
you  know  does  not  fear  God ;  i.  e.  one  exactly  the 
reverse  of  the  man  jou  ask  him  to  bestow  ?  And 
when,  bj  this  act,  jou  do  all  in  jour  ^ower  to 
defeat  the  promise  of  which  jou  affect  to  wish  the 
fulfilment?  Do  jou  think  that  the  church  of 
Christ  is  to  be  nurtured  bj  the  dragon's  milk  of 
infidelitj?  Or  that  the  contradiction  between 
your  prayers  and  jour  practice  does  not  mock  the 
holj  God? 

5.  There  are  circumstances  in  the  state  of  jour 
countrj  which  impart  to  these  reflections,  applica- 
ble in  their  'spirit  to  all  Christians,  a  double  em- 
phasis in  their  application  to  jou. 

The  Federal  Constitution  makes  no  acknowledg- 
ment of  that  God  who  gave  us  our  national  exist- 
ence, and  saved  us  from  anarchj  and  internal  war. 
This  neglect  has  excited  in  manj  of  its  best 
friends,    more    alarm    than    all    other    difficulties. 

*  Itifiiiih  xlix.  23. 


The  Voice  of  Warning.  571 

The  only  way  to  wipe  off  the  reproach  of  irre- 
ligion,  and  to  avert  the  descending  vengeance,  is 
to  prove,  by  our  national  acts,  that  the  Constitu- 
tion has  not,  in  this  instance,  done  justice  to  the 
pubhc  sentiment.  But  if  you  appoint  an  infidel 
for  your  President,  and  such  an  infidel  as  Mr. 
Jefferson,  you  will  sanction  that  neglect,  you  will 
declare,  by  a  solemn  natiojial  act,  that  there  is  no 
more  religion  in  your  collective  character,  than  in 
your  written  Constitution  :  you  will  put  a  national 
indignity  upon  the  God  of  your  mercies;  and  pro- 
voke iiim,  it  may  be,  to  send  over  your  land  thai 
deluge  of  judgments  which  his  forbearance  has 
hitherto  suspended. 

Add  to  this  the  consideration,  that  infidelity  has 
awfully  increased.  The  time  was,  and  that  within 
your  own  recollection,  when  the  term  infidelity 
was  almost  a  stranger  to  our  ears,  and  an  open  infi- 
del an  object  of  abhorrence.  'SfVitiioiv  the  term  has 
become  familiar,  and  infidels  hardly  disgust.  Our 
youth,  our  hope  and  our  pride,  are  poisoned  with 
the  accursed  leaven.  The  vain  thle  of  "  philoso- 
pher" has  turned  their  giddy  heads,  and,  what  is 
worse,  corrupted  their  untutored  hearts.  It  is  now 
a  mark  of  sense,  the  proof  of  an  enlarged  and 
liberal  mind,  to  scoff  at  all  the  truths  of  inspira- 
tion, and  to  cover  with  ridicule  the  hope  of  a 
Christian  ;  those  truths  and  that  hope  which  are 
the  richest  boon  of  divine  benignity ;  which  calm 


572  Tlie  Voice  of  Warning. 

the  perturbed  conscience,  and  heal  the  wounded 
spirit;  whicli  sweeten  every  comfort,  and  soothe 
every  sorrow ;  which  give  strong  consolation  in 
the  arrest  of  death,  and  shed  the  light  of  immor- 
tality on  the  gloom  of  the  grave.  All,  all  arc  be- 
come the  sneer  of  the  buffoon,  and  the  song  of 
the  drunkard.  These  things,  Christians,  you  de- 
plore. You  feel  indignant,  as  well  as  discouraged, 
at  the  inroads  of  infidel  principle  and  profligate 
manners.  You  declaim  against  them.  You  cau- 
tion your  children  against  their  infection.  And 
yet,  with  such  facts  before  your  eyes,  and  such 
lessons  in  your  mouths,  you  are  on  the  point  of 
undoing  whatever  you  have  done ;  and  annihi- 
lating at  one  blow  the  effect  of  all  your  profession, 
instruction,  and  example.  By  giving  your  support 
to  Mr.  Jefferson,  you  are  about  to  strip  infidelity 
of  its  ignominy  ;  array  it  in  honors ;  and  hold  it 
tip  with  eclat  to  the  view  of  the  rising  generation. 
By  this  act,  you  will  proclaim  to  the  whole  world 
that  it  is  not  so  detestable  a  thing  as  you  pretend- 
ed ;  that  you  do  not  beheve  it  subversive  of  moral 
obligation  and  social  purity ;  that  a  man  may 
revile  your  religion,  and  blaspheme  your  Saviour, 
and  yet  command  your  highest  confidence.  This 
amounts  to  nothing  less  than  a  deliberate  surren- 
der of  the  cause  of  Jesus  Christ  into  the  hands  of 
his  enemies.  By  this  single  act — my  flesh  trem- 
bles,   my    blood    chills    at    the    thought! — by  this 


Th^  Voice  of  Warning.  573 

single  act  you  will  do  more  to  destroy  a  regard  for 
the  gospel  of  Jesus,  than  the  whole  fraternity  of 
mfidels  with  all  their  arts,  their  industry,  and 
their  intrigue.  You  will  stamp  credit  upon  prin- 
ciples, the  native  tendency  of  which  is  to  ruin 
your  children  in  this  world,  and  damn  them  in 
the  world  to  come.  0  God !  "  the  ox  knoweth 
his  owner,  and  the  ass  life  master's  crib  :  but  thy 
people  doth  not  know,  and  Israel  doth  not  con- 
sider."* 

With  these  serious  reflections,  let  me  connect  a 
fact  equally  serious:  The  whole  strength  of  open 
and  active  infidelity  is  on  the  side  of  Mr.  Jefferson. 

You  may  well  start !  But  the  observation  and 
experience  of  the  continent  is  one  long  and  loud 
attestation  to  the  truth  of  my  assertion.  I  say 
OPEN  and  ACTiA  E  infidelity.  You  can  scarcely  find 
one  exception  among  all  who  preach  infidel  tenets 
among  the  .people.  Did  it  never  occur  to  you,  that 
such  men  would  not  be  so  zealous  for  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son if  they  were  not  well  assured  of  his  being  one 
of  themselves — that  they  would  cordially  hate  him 
if  they  supposed  him  to  be  a  Christian — or  that 
they  have  the  most  sanguine  hope  that  his  election 
to  the  presidency  will  promote  their  cause  1  I 
know,  that  to  serve  the  purpose  of  the  moment, 
those  very  presses  which  teemed  with  abuse  of 
your  Redeemer  are  now  affecting  to  offer  incense 

*  Is.  i.  3. 


574  The  Voice  of  Wai-ning. 

to  his  religion  ;  and  that  Deists  themselves  are  la- 
boring to  convince  you  that  Mr.  Jefferson  is  a 
Christian  ;  and  yet  have  the  effrontery  to  talk  of 
other  men's  hypocrisy  !  Can  you  be  the  dupes  of 
such  an  artifice  ?  Do  you  not  see  in  it  a  proof 
that  there  is  no  reliance  to  be  placed  on  an  infidel 
conscience  ?  Do  you  need  to  be  reminded  that 
these  infidels  who  now  court  you,  are  the  very 
men  who,  four  years  ago,  insulted  your  faith  and 
your  Lord  with  every  expression  of  ridicule 
and  contempt  ?  That  these  very  men  circulated, 
with  unremitting  assiduity,  that  execrable  book  of 
Boulanger,  entitled  Christianity  Unveiled;  and 
that  equally  execrable  abortion  of  Thomas  Paine, 
The  Age  of  Reason  ?  That,  in  order  to  get  them, 
(especially  the  latter)  into  the  hands  of  the  common 
people,  they  sold  them  at  a  very  low  rate ;  gave 
them  away  where  they  could  not  sell  them;  and 
slipped  them  into  the  pockets  of  numbei:s  who  re- 
fused to  accept  them  ?  Do  you  know  that  some 
of  these  infidels  were  at  the  trouble  of  translating 
from  the  French,  and  printing,  for  the  benefit  of 
Americans,  a  work  of  downright,  undisguised  Athe- 
ism, with  the  imposing  title  of  Common  Sense  ? 
That  it  was  openly  advertised,  and  extracts,  or  an 
extract,  published  to  help  the  sale?*    Do  you  know 

*  The  title  is  a  trick,  designed  to  entrap  the  unwary,  by  palming 
it  on  them  through  the  popularity  of  Paine's  tracts  under  the  same 
Dame.     The  title  in  the  original,  is  Le  Ion  sens,  good  sense.     It  was 


^^m 


The  Voice  of  Warning.  bib 

that  some  of  the  same  brotherhood  are  secretly 
handing  about,  I  need  not  say  where,  a  book  writ- 
ten by  Charles  Pigott,  an  Englishman,  entitled  A 
Political  Dictionarij?  Take  the  following  sample 
of  its  impiety:  (my  hair  stiffens  while  I  transcribe 
it.)  ''Religion — a  superstition  invented  by  the 
archbishop  of  hell,  and  propagated  by  his  faithful 
diocesans  the  clergy,  to  keep  the  people  in  igno- 
rance and  darkness,  that  they  may  not  see  the 
work  of  iniquity  that  is  going  on,"  &c.* 

Such  are  the  men  with  whom  professors  of  the 
name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  are  concerting 
the  election  of  an  infidel  to  the  Presidency  of  the 
United  States  of  America.  Hear  the  word  of  the 
Lord  :  "  What  fellowship  hath  righteousness  with 
unrighteousness?  And  what  communion  hath 
lidit  with  darkness?  And  what  concord  hath 
Christ  with  Behal?  And  what  part  hath  he  that 
believeth  with  an  infiden"t     Yet  Christians   are 

printed,  I  believe,  in  Philadelphia  ;  but  the  printer  was  ashamed  or 
afraid  to  own  it. 

*  Pigott's  Political  Dictionary,  p.  132.  This  work  was  originally 
printed  in  England  ;  but  having  been  suppressed  there,  the  whole 
or  nearly  the  whole  impression,  was  sent  over  to  America,  and  dis- 
tributed among  the  people.  But  in  ivhat.  manner,  and  by  what  means, 
there  are  some  who  can  tell  better  than  the  writer  of  this  pamphlet. 
It  was  thought,  howevin*,  to  be  so  useful,  as  to  merit  the  honors  of 
the  American  press — for  the  copy  which  I  possess  is  one  of  an  edi- 
tion printed  at  New  York,  for  Thomas  Greenleaf,  late  editor  of 
the  Argus,  1796. 

f  2  Cor.  v.  14,  15. 


4. 


576  The-  Voice  of  Warnihg. 

uniting  with  infidels,  in  exalting  an  infidel  to  the 
chief  magistracy !  If  he  succeeds,  Christians 
>^  must  bear  the  blame.  Numerous  as  the  infidels 
are,  thej  are  not  yet  able,  adored  be  God,  to  seize 
upon  our  "  high  places."  Christians  must  help 
them,  or  they  set  not  their  feet  on  the  threshold  of 
power.  If,  therefore,  an  infidel  preside  over  our 
country,  it  will  be  your  fault,  Christians,  and  your 
act;  and  you  shall  answer  it!  And  for  aidino-  and 
abetting  such  a  design,  I  charge  upon  your  con- 
sciences the  sin  of  striking  hands  in  a  covenant 
of  friendship,  with  the  enemies  of  your  Master's 
glory.  Ah,  what  will  be  your  compunctions,  when 
these  same  infidels,  victorious  through  yow  assist- 
ance, will  "tread  you  down  as  mire  in  the  streets," 
and  exult  in  their  triumph  over  bigots  and  bigotry? 
Sit  down,  now,  and  interrogate  your  own  hearts, 
whether  you  can,  with  a  "pure  conscience," 
befriend  Mr.  Jefferson's  election?  Whether  you 
can  do  it  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  ?  Whe- 
ther you  can  lift  up  your  heads,  and  tell  him  that 
the  choice  of  this  infidel  is  for  his  honor,  and  that 
you  promote  it  in  the  faith  of  his  approbation  ? 
Whether,  in  the  event  of  success,  you  have  a 
right  to  look  for  his  blessing  in  the  enjoyment  of 
your  President?  Whether,  having  preferred  the 
talents  of  a  man  before  the  religion  of  Jesus,  you 
ought  not  to  fear  that  God  will  blast  these  talents; 
abandon  your  President   to   infatuated    counsels; 


r 


The  Voice  of  Warning.  577 

and  yourselves  to  the  plague  of  your  own  folly? 
Whether  it  would  not  be  just  to  remove  the 
restraints  of  his  good  providence,  and  scourge  you 
with  that  very  infidelity  which  you  did  not  scruple 
to  countenance  ?  Whether  you  can,  without  some 
guilty  misgivings,  pray  for  the  spirit  of  Christ  upon 
a  President,  whom  you  choose  in  spite  of  every 
demonstration  of  his  hatred  to  Christ?  Those  who, 
to  keep  their  consciences  clean,  oppose  Mr.  Jeffer- 
son, may  pray  for  him,  in  this  manner,  with  a  full 
and  fervent  heart.  But  to  you,  God  may  administer 
this  dread  rebuke:  "You  chose  an  infidel:  keep  him 
as  ye  chose  him ;  walk  in  the  sparks  that  ye  have 
kindled."  Whether  the  threatenings  of  God  are 
not  pointed  against  such  a  magistrate  and  such  a 
people  ?  "  Be  wise,  O  ye  kings,"  is  his  command- 
ment; "be  instructed,  ye  judges  of  the  earth: 
serve  the  Lord  with  fear,  and  rejoice  with  trem- 
bling :  Kiss  the  Son,  lest  he  be  angry,  and  ye 
perish  from  the  way  when  his  anger  is  kindled  but 
a  little."*  What,  then,  is  in  store  for  a  magistrate 
who  is  so  far  from  "  kissing  the  Son,"  that  he  hates 
and  opposes  him?  "  The  wicked  shall  be  turned 
into  hell,  and  all  the  nations  that  forget  God."f 
And  who  forget  him,  if  not  a  nation  which,  though 
called  by  his  name,  nevertheless  caresses,  honors, 
rewards  his  enemies  ?  The  Lord  hath  sworn  to 
strike  through  kings  in  the  day  of  his  wrath.\  Woe 

*  Ps.  ii.  10-12.  f  Ps.   ix.  17.  I  Ps.  ex.  5. 

VOL.  IV.      37 


578  The  Voice  of  Warning. 

then,  to  those  governments  which  are  wielded  by 
infidels,  when  he  arises  to  judgment ;  and  woe  to 
those  who  have  contributed  to  establish  them  !  To 
whatever  influence  thej  owe  their  determinations 
and  their  measures,  it  is  not  to  the  "  Spirit  of  under- 
standing, and  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord."  Do  I 
speak  these  things  as  a  man ;  or  saith  not  the 
Scripture  the  same  also?  "Woe  to  the  rebellious 
children,  saith  the  Lord,  that  take  counsel,  hut  not 
of  me,  and  that  cover  with  a  covering,  hut  not  of 
my  Spirit,  that  they  may  add  sin  to  sin.  That 
walk  to  go  down  into  Egypt  (a?id  have  not  asked 
at  my  mouthy  to  strengthen  themselves  in  the 
strength  of  Pharaoh,  and  to  trust  in  the  shadow 
of  Egypt.  Therefore  the  strength  of  Egvpt  shall 
be  yowY  shame,  and  the  trust  in  the  shadoia  of  Egypt 
your  CONFUSION.""^  This  is  the  light  in  which  God 
considers  your  confidence  in  his  enemies;  and  the 
issue  for  which  you  ought  to  be  prepared, 

I  have  done;  and  do  not  flatter  myself  that  I 
shall  escape  the  censure  of  many  professed,  and  of 
some  real  Christians.  The  style  of  this  pamphlet  is 
calculated  to  conciliate  nothing  but  conscience.  I 
desire  to  concihate  nothing  else.  "  If  I  pleased  men, 
I  should  not  be  the  servant  of  Christ."  I  do  not 
expect,  nor  wish,  to  fare  better  than  the  Apostle  of 
the  Gentiles,  who  became  the  enemy  of  not  a  few 
professors,  because  he  told  them  the  truth.\  But  the 

*  Isa.  XXX.  1-3.  t  Gal.  iv.  16. 


TJie  Voice  of  Warning.  570 

Bible  speaks  of  "  Children  that  will  not  hear  the 
law  of  the  Lord:  which  say  to  the  seers,  See  not; 
and  to  the  prophets,  Prophecy  not  unto  us  right 
things :  speak  unto  us  smooth  things :  prophecy 
deceits,"*  Here  is  the  truth,  "  Whether  you  will 
hear,  or  whether  you  will  forbear."  If  you  are  re- 
solved to  persevere  in  elevating  an  infidel  to  the 
chair  of  your  President,  I  pray  God  not  to  "  choose 
your  delusions ;"  but  cannot  dissemble  that  "  my 
flesh  trembleth  for  fear  of  his  judgments."  It  is  m}* 
consolation  that  my  feeble  voice  has  been  lifted  up 
for  His  name.  I  have  addressed  you  as  one  who 
believes,  and  I  beseech  you  to  act  as  those  who 
beheve,  "That  we  must  all  appear  before  the 
judgment  seat  of  Christ."  Whatever  be  the 
result,  you  shall  not  plead  that  you  were  not 
warned.  If,  notwithstanding,  you  call  to  govern 
you  an  enemy  to  my  Lord  and  your  Lord;  in 
the  face  of  earth  and  heaven,  and  in  the  audience 
of  your  own  consciences,  I  record  my  protest,  and 
wash  my  hands  of  your  guilt. 

Arise,  O  Lord,  and  let  not  man  prevail! 

*  Isa.  XXX.  9,  10. 


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